flocculus
/ˈflɒkjʊləs
/noun (plural flocculi /ˈflɒkjʊlʌɪ/ /ˈflɒkjʊliː/)
1 Anatomy A small egg-shaped lobe on the undersurface of the cerebellum.When the researchers compared the pterosaur brains with those of modern birds, they bore some similarities, but most notably the pterosaurs had an unusually large part of the brain known as the flocculus and large inner ear canals....
- The inferior medullary velum connects the nodulus to the peduncle of the flocculus and to the flocculus itself, the scalloped margin of which protrudes from the remainder of the cerebellum.
- The thin, dark, and highly vascular tela choroidea of the 4th ventricle is attached to the posterior margin of the inferior medullary velum and the peduncle of the flocculus.
2 Astronomy A small cloudy wisp on the surface of the sun.The appearance of a weak field leads to the appearance of a flocculus....
- By watching the motion of the flocculi he could monitor the solar rotation at different latitudes almost continuously.
3A floccule.
Origin
Late 18th century: modern Latin, diminutive of Latin floccus (see floccus).