lashlike

Lashlike is an adjective used to describe structures or forms that resemble a lash: slender, flexible, hairlike projections extending from a surface. The word is formed from lash, meaning a whip or fringe, with the suffix -like indicating resemblance. It is a descriptive term rather than a formal taxonomic category.

In biology, lashlike structures are common descriptive terms for motile appendages such as cilia and flagella, which beat or rotate to propel cells. The description can also apply to slender hairs, called setae, that extend from organisms or tissues to aid movement, sensing, or adhesion.

In botany and plant anatomy, lashlike projections may describe elongated trichomes or other epidermal outgrowths that are long, narrow, and often curved, producing a lash-like appearance on leaf surfaces or fruits.

The term is used across disciplines to convey form and behavior rather than to designate a taxonomic group. It may appear in descriptions, illustrations, or micrographs in fields ranging from zoology to materials science.

Related descriptive terms include whip-like, filamentous, hairlike, and fibrillar. See lashlike in comparative morphology or cross-disciplinary descriptions for additional context.