alveolus

[ al-vee-uh-luhs ]
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noun,plural al·ve·o·li [al-vee-uh-lahy]. /ælˈvi əˌlaɪ/.
  1. a little cavity, pit, or cell, as a cell of a honeycomb.

  2. an air cell of the lungs, formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways.

  1. one of the terminal secretory units of a racemose gland.

  2. the socket within the jawbone in which the root or roots of a tooth are set.

Origin of alveolus

1
1700–10; <Latin, equivalent to alve(us) concave vessel + -olus-ole1

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British Dictionary definitions for alveolus

alveolus

/ (ælˈvɪələs) /


nounplural -li (-ˌlaɪ)
  1. any small pit, cavity, or saclike dilation, such as a honeycomb cell

  2. any of the sockets in which the roots of the teeth are embedded

  1. any of the tiny air sacs in the lungs at the end of the bronchioles, through which oxygen is taken into the blood

Origin of alveolus

1
C18: from Latin: a little hollow, diminutive of alveus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for alveolus

alveolus

[ ăl-vēə-ləs ]


Plural alveoli (ăl-vēə-lī′)
  1. Any of the tiny air-filled sacs arranged in clusters in the lungs, in which the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. Also called air sac

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