noun

filament

FIH-luh-muhnt

noun

A very thin thread or wire-like strand.

"A spider spins its web from silk filaments."

"The old bulb had a thin metal filament that glowed when heated."

The thin coil inside an incandescent light bulb that glows white-hot when electricity passes through it.

"When the filament finally burned out, the bulb went dark."

In botany, the thin stalk of a stamen that holds up the anther in a flower.

"Pollen forms at the tip of the filament, on the anther."

A continuous spool of material, such as the plastic thread fed into a 3D printer.

"He loaded a new roll of PLA filament into the 3D printer."

How to Use Filament

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA thin, thread-like strand — whether it is glowing inside a bulb, part of a flower, or feeding a 3D printer.

Common pairings

light bulb filament 3D printer filament a fine filament

filaments plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

A spider spins its web from silk _____.

From Medieval Latin filamentum, built on Latin filum meaning "thread."

lament ornament ligament armament sacrament testament firmament tournament parliament temperament predicament disarmament