comae

noun

1. 1

   A cloud of dust surrounding the nucleus of a comet.

2. 2

   A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points.

3. 3

   A tuft or bunch, such as the assemblage of branches forming the head of a tree, a cluster of bracts when empty and terminating the inflorescence of a plant, or a tuft of long hairs on certain seeds.