uvula

[ yoo-vyuh-luh ]

noun,plural u·vu·las, u·vu·lae [yoo-vyuh-lee]. /ˈyu vyəˈli/. Anatomy.
  1. the small, fleshy, conical body projecting downward from the middle of the soft palate.

  2. a similar structure in any organ of the body, especially one at the opening of the bladder.

Origin of uvula

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin ūvula, equivalent to Latin ūva “grape” + -ula -ule

Words Nearby uvula

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British Dictionary definitions for uvula

uvula

/ (ˈjuːvjʊlə) /


nounplural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)
  1. a small fleshy finger-like flap of tissue that hangs in the back of the throat and is an extension of the soft palate

Origin of uvula

1
C14: from Medieval Latin, literally: a little grape, from Latin ūva a grape

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 uvula

uvula

[ yōōvyə-lə ]


  1. A small mass of fleshy tissue that hangs from the back of the soft palate.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.