gemmule vs plumule

gemmule

noun
  • Synonym of plumule (“the first bud, or growing point, of a plant embryo, situated above the cotyledons”) 

  • In the obsolete theory of pangenesis propounded by the English scientist Charles Darwin (1809–1882): a hypothetical particle once thought to be the basis of heredity. 

  • Synonym of dendritic spine (“a small membranous protrusion from the dendrite of a neuron that typically receives input from a single axon at the synapse”) 

plumule

noun
  • The first bud, or growing point, of a plant embryo, situated above the cotyledons. 

  • One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies. 

  • The aftershaft of a feather. 

  • A down feather. 

How often have the words gemmule and plumule occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )