n.
Pronunciation: ' ra- ˌ f ī d
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural raph · ides \ ' ra- ˌ f ī dz, ' ra-f ə - ˌ d ē z \
Etymology: French & New Latin; French raphide, from New Latin raphides, plural, from Greek rhaphides, plural of rhaphid-, rhaphis needle, from rhaptein
Date: circa 1842
: any of the needle-shaped crystals usually of calcium oxalate that develop as metabolic by-products in plant cells