thickwalled

Thickwalled is a descriptive term used for objects whose enclosing walls are notably thicker than standard or expected for their category. Typically written with a hyphen in formal writing, thick-walled conveys robustness or rigidity and is context-dependent rather than tied to a fixed measurement.

In architecture and engineering, thick-walled describes fortifications or vessels designed to resist pressure or impact. Examples include medieval city walls and towers with substantial thickness; in engineered components, thick-walled pressure vessels, pipes, or casings where wall thickness contributes to strength, leak resistance, and insulation. Design often uses stress-analysis methods (for example, thick-walled cylinder theory) to determine appropriate thickness to withstand internal or external pressures.

In biology and botany, thick-walled refers to cell or tissue structures with relatively thick walls. In animal anatomy, thick-walled arteries have a prominent tunica media to withstand high blood pressures. In plants, sclerenchyma cells exhibit thick, lignified secondary walls that confer rigidity. The term may also describe spores or seeds with thick shells that aid protection.

Usage notes: The term is qualitative; different domains set different expectations for what counts as "thick." It is not a technical specification in itself and is usually clarified by comparison or measurement in the surrounding text.

See also: thick-walled vessel, sclerenchyma, arterial wall, fortification.