alveolus

[ al-vee-uh-luh s ]

/ ælˈvi ə ləs /

noun, plural al·ve·o·li [al-vee-uh-lahy] /ælˈvi əˌlaɪ/.

a little cavity, pit, or cell, as a cell of a honeycomb.

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

one of the terminal secretory units of a racemose gland.

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

Nearby words

alveolodental membrane, alveololingual, alveolopalatal, alveoloplasty, alveolotomy, alveolus, alveopalatal, alveus, alvin, alvine, alvira

Origin of alveolus

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alveoli

Its alveoli in one maxilla are closed and those in the opposite maxilla are more open than is normal.
The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico|Ticul Alvarez
In young females the width of the braincase is more than the distance between the alveoli of the incisor and first molar.
Subspeciation in Pocket Gophers of Kansas, [KU. Vol. 1 No. 11]|Bernardo Villa-R
This is a very different matter from normal inspiration, which does not completely dilate the alveoli.
Pedagogical Anthropology|Maria Montessori
The alveoli of all the other teeth are present and in a good state of preservation.
On The Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy|J. L. Wortman

Owing to the absence of superior incisors in ruminants, the intermaxillary bone presents no alveoli.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for alveoli

alveolus

/ (ælˈvɪələs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

any small pit, cavity, or saclike dilation, such as a honeycomb cell

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

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

Word Origin for alveolus

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

Medicine definitions for alveoli

alveolus

[ ăl-vē′ə-ləs ]

n. pl. al•ve•o•li (-lī′)

A small angular cavity or pit, such as a tooth socket or an air sac.

Science definitions for alveoli

alveolus

[ ăl-vē′ə-ləs ]

Plural alveoli (ăl-vē′ə-lī′)

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