fascicle

noun

fas·​ci·​cle ˈfa-si-kəl 

plural fascicles

1

: a small or slender bundle: such as

a

: a tight cluster of plant parts (such as leaves or flowers)

b

: a slender bundle of anatomical fibers (such as muscle or nerve fibers) : fasciculus sense 1

2

: one of the divisions of a book published in parts : fasciculus sense 2

fascicled

ˈfa-si-kəld 

adjective

fascicled leaves

Did you know?

Fascicle, which has been a part of our language since the 15th century, is one of a bundle of words derived from Latin fascis, meaning "bundle." In book publishing, "fascicle" and its variants "fascicule" and "fasciculus" can all be used for one of the installments of a voluminous work; "fasciculus" can also be used for a bundle of anatomical fibers. "Fasciitis" is an inflammation of a "fascia," which is a sheet of tissue connecting muscles. You can also have a case of "fasciculation," or muscular twitching. Other descendants of "fascis" include "fasces" (a bundle of rods and an ax borne before ancient Roman magistrates as a badge of authority) and "fascine" (a long bundle of sticks of wood bound together).

Examples of fascicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the course of several months, each fascicle would grow into the muscle, resupplying it with nerve signals. —WIRED, 1 Aug. 2023

By placing an electrode into the little muscle-nerve bundle, scientists could record in real time which nerve signals were coming from each fascicle. —WIRED, 1 Aug. 2023

These lie alongside each other to form the fascicle, or syntrophium, encased in the thickened outside cover, the labium. —Popular Science, 20 Oct. 2020

These grow from a little cup-like structure called a fascicle, which grows from a small bud on the pine twig shoot. —Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 23 Dec. 2019

The deep core muscles, called the quadratus lumborum, psoas major, external oblique, and the deep fascicles erector spinae, attach directly to the lumbar vertebrae, and function primarily to stabilize the lumbar spine. —David Becker, Philly.com, 28 Feb. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin fasciculus, diminutive of fascis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Definition

fascicle

noun

fas·​ci·​cle ˈfas-i-kəl 

: a small or slender bundle of anatomical fibers (such as muscle or nerve fibers) : fasciculus

fascicled

-kəld 

adjective