[L.: see above.]
2. Bot. The soft down or pubescence growing on the stems, leaves, or seeds of certain plants.
1699. Sloane, in Phil. Trans., XXI. 115. Having very soft hairs, down, or tomentum, much longer in proportion to the Seed, then any tomentum I know.
1793. G. White, Selborne (1853), 375 (Observ. Wild Bee). A sort of wild bee frequenting the garden-campion for the sake of its tomentum.
1866. Treas. Bot., s.v. Centaurea, Leaves clothed on both surfaces with a white silky tomentum.
2. Anat. A downy covering or investment; spec. the flocculent inner surface of the pia mater, consisting of numerous minute vessels entering the brain and spinal cord (in full tomentum cerebri).
1811. in Hooper, Med. Dict.
1841. Ramsbotham, Obstetr. Med. (1855), 62. The ovum … is completely surrounded by a thick tomentum of minute filamentous, mossy villi.
Hence Tomentigerous, Tomentitious, Tomentulose adjs.: see quots.
1850. Mayne, Expos. Lex., Tomentiger…, Entom., having the body hairy or downy: *tomentigerous.
1656. Blount, Glassogr., Tomentitious (tomentitius), made of flocks or wool.
1895. Funk’s Stand. Dict., *Tomentulose.
1900. B. D. Jackson, Gloss. Bot. Terms, 272. Tomentulose, slightly tomentose.
