Anatomy
hair follicle Audio
fol·li·cle [ ... fah-lih-kul ]
Subclass of:
Epidermis; Hair
Definitions related to hair follicle:
  • A shaft or opening on the surface of the skin through which hair grows.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A tube-like invagination of the EPIDERMIS from which the hair shaft develops and into which SEBACEOUS GLANDS open. The hair follicle is lined by a cellular inner and outer root sheath of epidermal origin and is invested with a fibrous sheath derived from the dermis. (Stedman, 26th ed) Follicles of very long hairs extend into the subcutaneous layer of tissue under the SKIN.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Tube-like invagination of the epidermis from which the hair shaft develops and into which sebaceous glands open; the hair follicle is lined by a cellular inner and outer root sheath of epidermal origin and is invested with a fibrous sheath derived from the dermis.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
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