Uitloper

Uitloper is a Dutch noun meaning an outward projection or extension from a main body. The term is used in several contexts to describe a structure or part that grows away from or beyond a central mass, and it often conveys a sense of functional extension or connectivity. Etymology: uitloper combines uit (out) and loper (runner), referring to something that runs outward from a base.

In biology and anatomy, een uitloper refers to a cellular or tissue projection that extends from a cell or organ. In nerve cells, it can denote a process such as an axon or dendrite, i.e., the extending part through which signals are transmitted. The concept is also used for other cellular extensions that reach outward from a body, serving roles in communication, attachment, or growth.

In botany, een uitloper typically denotes a stolon or runner—an horizontal stem that grows along the ground and forms new plants at nodes. This mode of vegetative propagation is common in certain plants, such as strawberries, where the runner enables rapid colony expansion.

Figuratively, uitloper can describe any outward extension or offshoot of a larger system, organism, or structure, including architectural or mechanical components that extend beyond a main body.

See also: outgrowth, stolon, axon, dendrite, extension.