alveolus

[ al-vee-uh-luhs ]

See 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.

Origin of alveolus

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

Words Nearby alveolus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alveolus in a sentence

Beside them, lining the ducts and alveoli, are smooth, muscle-like myoepithelial cells.
Startups are racing to reproduce breast milk in the lab | Katie McLean | December 18, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
A breath of these microscopic particles can send them all the way to the alveoli, the tiny sacs where the lungs and the blood swap oxygen and carbon dioxide.
What we know and don’t know about wildfire smoke’s health risks | Maria Temming | September 18, 2020 | Science News
In the Atlantic City specimen the axis of the tooth where it emerges from the alveolus is 91 mm.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae | Frederick True
The alveolus lies entirely behind the symphysis, its anterior end being 160 mm.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae | Frederick True
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

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
The margins of the cleft in the lip are also attached to the alveolus by firm reflections of the mucous membrane.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition. | Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for alveolus

alveolus

/ (ælˈvɪələs) /

nounplural -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

Origin of 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

Scientific 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

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