/ray"fee/ , n. , pl. raphae /-fee/ .
1. Anat. a seamlike union between two parts or halves of an organ or the like.
2. Bot.
a. (in certain ovules) a ridge connecting the hilum with the chalaza.
b. a median line or slot on a cell wall of a diatom.
[ 1745-55; rhaphé seam, suture, akin to rháptein to sew, stitch together ]