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View synonyms for granule
granule
[ gran-yool ]
noun
- a little grain.
- a small particle; pellet.
- a corpuscle; sporule.
granule
/ ˈɡrænjuːl /
noun
- a small grain
- geology a single rock fragment in gravel, smaller than a pebble but larger than a sand grain
- astronomy another name for granulation
granule
/ grăn′yo̅o̅l /
- A rock or mineral fragment larger than a sand grain and smaller than a pebble. Granules have a diameter between 2 and 4 mm (0.08 and 0.16 in) and are often rounded.
- Any of the small, transient convective cells within the Sun's photosphere where hot gases rise and quickly dissipate. Granules are generally between a few hundred and 1,500 km in width. They completely cover the Sun's surface, giving it its characteristic grainy or stippled look, and form and break up within a matter of minutes.
- An aggregate of enclosed grainy matter found in a cell. Granulocytes, mast cells and other cells contain granules in their cytoplasm, which differ in size and can often be identified by a characteristic laboratory stain based on their composition. Granules produce and store biologically active substances, the release of which is called degranulation . The granules of granulocytes contain mostly multiple enzymes and other proteins; those of mast cells contain histamine and other chemical mediators.
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of granule1
C17: from Late Latin grānulum a small grain
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Example Sentences
It is lobate in form and is divided by lines into areas in each of which a deeply-stained granule is situated.
From Project Gutenberg
This is an extremely small granule, on the very limit of visibility, the chemical composition of which is not known very well.
From Project Gutenberg
This granule is the water bottle drained to the last drop, is the nurse's breast emptied of all its contents.
From Project Gutenberg
With intense dry heat, as in toasting, the granule expands and opens, and the contents change to dextrin.
From Project Gutenberg
The ovum destined to become a new creature, is originally only a cell with a contained granule.
From Project Gutenberg
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