spicule
Meaning
a small, needle-like structure or particle, especially in biology or astronomy.
a minute, slender, sharp-pointed body or process, as in certain sponges or on some plants.
Structure
Usage
the sponge's skeleton is composed of numerous calcareous spicules.
solar spicules are dynamic jets of gas observed on the sun's limb.
under the microscope, we could see the intricate arrangement of glassy spicules.
Etymology
the word 'spicule' is a direct borrowing from latin 'spicula', the diminutive form of 'spica', meaning 'a small sharp point' or 'a little ear of grain'. the root 'spica' itself is thought to be of proto-indo-european origin, related to the concept of a sharp point or a head, as seen in an ear of grain. this literal sense of a small, pointed object was adopted into scientific english in the 18th century to describe fine, needle-like structures in organisms like sponges and later in astronomy for jet-like features on the sun. the logic of the word perfectly captures its modern meaning: a diminutive ('-ule') form of a point ('spic').
Analysis
spic is from latin 'spica' meaning 'ear of grain, point'. ule is a latin diminutive suffix '-ulus', '-ula', '-ulum', indicating something small.