alveolus

[ al-vee-uh-luh s ]

/ ælˈvi ə ləs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alveolus ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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 alveolus

The tooth should be pulled out straight, lest the alveolus be broken.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times|John Stewart Milne
When in the natural position, these teeth protrude about 33 mm., or a little more than one-third their height, above the alveolus.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae|Frederick True
A muco-purulent discharge escapes from within the free edge of the gum and alveolus.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
Limited portions of the alveolus are frequently broken in the extraction of teeth.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

When extracted from the alveolus, the whole tooth is found to be concave internally and convex externally.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae|Frederick True

British Dictionary definitions for alveolus

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

Word Origin and History for alveolus

alveolus

1706, from Latin alveolus "a tray, trough, basin; bed of a small river," diminutive of alvus "belly, stomach, paunch, bowels; hold of a ship," from PIE *aulo- "hole, cavity" (cf. Greek aulos "tube, pipe," Old Church Slavonic uliji, Lithuanian aulys "beehive" (hollow trunk), Armenian yli "pregnant").

Medicine definitions for alveolus

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 alveolus

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