Fol"li*cle (?), n. [L. folliculus a small bag, husk, pod, dim of follis bellows, an inflated ball, a leathern money bag, perh. akin to E. bellows: cf. F. follicule. Cf. 2d Fool.]
1. Bot.
A simple podlike pericarp which contains several seeds and opens along the inner or ventral suture, as in the peony, larkspur and milkweed.
2. Anat. (a)
A small cavity, tubular depression, or sac; as, a hair follicle.
(b)
A simple gland or glandular cavity; a crypt.
(c)
A small mass of adenoid tissue; as, a lymphatic follicle.
© Webster 1913.