piloerector

P3I1L1O1E1R1E1C3T1O1R1

noun

A muscle responsible for piloerection.

Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounpiloerector (plural piloerectors)

plural piloerectors

  1. A muscle responsible for piloerection.

    Nor should we neglect that quintessentially mammalian trait, our hair, which, at the behest of tiny piloerector muscles at the base of each strand, can puff up to trap pockets of still air, one of the finest insulators known.

    2007 February 20, Natalie Angier, “A Mammal in Winter With a Furnace of Her Own”, in New York Times

Origin

From pilo- + erector.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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