noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/fjʊˈnɪk.jʊl.əs/
General-American:/fjʊˈnɪk.jəl.əs/
General-American:/fəˈnɪk.jəl.əs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪkjələs
rhymes with -ɪkjʊləs
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any of several cordlike structures, especially the umbilical cord, or a bundle of nerve fibres (white matter) in the spinal cord. The white matter of the spinal cord is made of (posterior, anterior and lateral) columns/funiculi. The grey columns are also called horns but not funiculi.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A stalk that connects the seed (or ovule) with the placenta.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
Examples
The elaiosome emerges from the funiculus.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: funicle, umbilical cord
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
any of several body structure resembling a cord
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: structure, anatomical structure, complex body part, bodily structure, body structure
