Filament
a slender, thread-like process; a fiber or fine thread of which flesh, nerves, skin, roots, etc., are composed. In botany, that part of the stamen which supports the anther. The filament is usually, as its name imports, filiform or thread-like, cylindrical, slightly tapering toward its summit. It is often, however, thickened, compressed, and flattened in various ways. It sometimes assumes the appearance of a petal, or becomes petaloid. The filament is usually of sufficient solidity to support the anther in an erect position; but sometimes, as in grasses, Littorella, and Plantago, it is very delicate and capillary or hair-like, so that the anther is pendulous. The filament is usually continuous from one end to the other, but in some cases it is bent or jointed. In electricity, the carbon thread or conductor in an exhausted glass lamp bulb, which becomes incandescent by its resistance to the electric current.