A very small, hair-like or needle-like structure, especially on the surface of plants or animals.
From Latin 'aculeolus,' a diminutive form of 'aculeus' (needle or sting). The diminutive suffix '-olus' in Latin denotes something small or delicate. This term is used in scientific taxonomy to describe microscopic spike-like features on organism surfaces that would be too small to call full prickles.
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