noun pl. chalazae or chalazas
- either of the spiral bands of dense albumen extending from the yolk toward the lining membrane at each end of a bird's egg and serving to keep the yolk suspended near the center of the albumen
- Bot. the basal end of an ovule, opposite the micropyle, where the seed coats and the nucellus join
Origin:
ModL < Gr, hail < IE base *gheləd-, ice > Pers žāla, hail, OSlav žlědica, sleet