Compare this word with "suture". It has a comparable origin,
but its use is rather restricted.
raphe

SYLLABICATION: ra·phe
PRONUNCIATION: rf
VARIANT FORMS: also rha·phe
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. ra·phae (-f)
1. Anatomy A seamlike line or ridge between two similar parts of a body organ, as in the scrotum. 2. Botany The portion of the funiculus that is united to the ovule wall, commonly visible as a line or ridge on the seed coat. 3. The median groove of a diatom valve.
ETYMOLOGY: New Latin, from Greek rhaph, seam, suture, from rhaptein, to sew. See wer-2 in Appendix I.