Tunica noun² & adjective. ['tju:nɪkǝ] Also Tonika. E18.
[French Tonika, Tounika, perh. from Tunica tóniku the man.]
A. noun. Pl. same, -s.
1. A member of a N. American Indian people of the lower Mississippi valley. E18.

2. The language (now extinct) of this people. E20.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Of or pertaining to the Tunica or their language. L18.

■ Tunican noun a postulated language family having Tunica as the chief member E20.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲

tunica noun¹. ['tju:nɪkǝ] L17.
[Latin: see TUNIC.]
1. Anatomy. A membranous sheath enveloping or lining an organ. Chiefly in mod. Latin combs. L17.
tunica adventitia [advɛn'tɪʃǝ] [mod. Latin = adventitious] an outer layer or sheath, esp. that of the wall of a blood-vessel. tunica albuginea [albjʊ'dʒɪnɪǝ] [mod. Latin = albugineous] a white fibrous layer in the covering of the penis, testis, or ovary. tunica intima ['ɪntɪmǝ] [Latin = innermost] = INTIMA. tunica media [Latin = middle] a middle layer or sheath, esp. the middle layer in the wall of a blood-vessel. tunica vaginalis [vadʒɪ'nɑ:lɪs] [mod. Latin = forming a sheath] a serous membrane covering part of the testis and epididymis.

2. Botany. The outer layer or layers of cells in an apical meristem, which divide anticlinically and contribute to surface growth. Cf. CORPUS 5. M20.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲