microfilament

M3I1C3R1O1F4I1L1A1M3E1N1T1
/ˈmaɪkrəʊˌfɪləmənt/

noun

A thin filament made of the protein actin and found in cells; part of the cytoskeleton.

Similar
actin filament
OriginEnglish filament ← Medieval Latin fīlāmentum ← Late Latin fīlō →
UncommonScrabble 22
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Meanings

nounmicrofilament (plural microfilaments)

plural microfilaments

  1. A thin filament made of the protein actin and found in cells; part of the cytoskeleton.

    Synonyms: actin filament

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA thin filament made of the protein actin and found in cells; part of the cytoskeleton.

Similar
actin filament

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mey-der.?
  2. Ancient Greekμῑκρός (mīkrós)
  3. Ancient Greekμῑκρο- (mīkro-)
  4. Englishmicro-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-
  6. Proto-Italic*fī(s)lom
  7. Latinfīlum
  8. Late Latinfīlō
  9. Medieval Latinfīlāmentum
  10. Englishfilament
  11. Englishmicrofilament

From micro- + filament.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic خيط أكتين
  • خيط أكتينprotein filament in cells
Czech mikrofilamentum
  • mikrofilamentumprotein filament in cells
German Mikrofilament
  • Mikrofilamentprotein filament in cells
Cite this entry
APA

microfilament. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microfilament

MLA

“microfilament.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microfilament. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “microfilament,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/microfilament.

Source: microfilament on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.