ampulla

[ am-puhl-uh, -poo l-uh ]

/ æmˈpʌl ə, -ˈpʊl ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ampulla ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural am·pul·lae [am-puhl-ee, -poo l-ee] /æmˈpʌl i, -ˈpʊl i/.

Anatomy. a dilated portion of a canal or duct, especially of the semicircular canals of the ear.

Zoology, Botany. any flask-shaped structure.

Ecclesiastical.

a vessel for the wine and water used at the altar.
a vessel for holding consecrated oil.

a two-handled bottle having a somewhat globular shape, made of glass or earthenware, used by the ancient Romans for holding oil, wine, or perfumes.

Ichthyology. ampulla of Lorenzini.

Nearby words

amplitude modulation, amplitude of accommodation, amply, ampoule, ampule, ampulla, ampulla of lorenzini, ampulla of uterine tube, ampulla of vas deferens, ampullaceous, ampullar pregnancy

Origin of ampulla

< New Latin, Latin, equivalent to amphor(a) amphora + -la diminutive suffix, with normal vowel reduction and Greek ph rendered as p

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

Examples from the Web for ampulla

Ampullaceous, swelling out like a bottle or bladder (ampulla).
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
They all knelt save the vicar, who had placed the oil in an ampulla upon a table.
A Lost Cause|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
The ampulla is covered with a bladder or with waxed linen, lest the contents exhale.
De Re Metallica|Georgius Agricola
The chief sign of the Canterbury pilgrimage was an ampul or ampulla or flask of lead or pewter.
A Handbook of Pictorial History|Henry W. Donald

At the base of each tube-foot there is a globular reservoir, or ampulla.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for ampulla

ampulla

/ (æmˈpʊlə) /

noun plural -pullae (-ˈpʊliː)

anatomy the dilated end part of certain ducts or canals, such as the end of a uterine tube

Christianity

a vessel for containing the wine and water used at the Eucharist
a small flask for containing consecrated oil

a Roman two-handled bottle for oil, wine, or perfume

Derived Forms

ampullaceous (ˌæmpʊˈleɪʃəs) or ampullaceal, adjectiveampullar (æmˈpʊlə) or ampullary (æmˈpʊlərɪ), adjective

Word Origin for ampulla

C16: from Latin, diminutive of amphora

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 ampulla

ampulla

[ ăm-pul′ə, -pŭl′ə ]

n. pl. am•pul•lae (-pul′ē, -pŭl′ē)

A dilated portion of a canal or duct, as in the semicircular canal of the ear.

Related forms

am•pul′lar adj.