Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

chyle

American  
[kahyl] / kaɪl /

noun

  1. a milky fluid containing emulsified fat and other products of digestion, formed from the chyme in the small intestine and conveyed by the lacteals and the thoracic duct to the veins.


chyle British  
/ kaɪl, kaɪˈleɪʃəs /

noun

  1. a milky fluid composed of lymph and emulsified fat globules, formed in the small intestine during digestion

"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

Other Word Forms

  • chylaceous adjective
  • chylous adjective
  • pseudochylous adjective

Etymology

Origin of chyle

1535–45; < Late Latin chȳlus < Greek chȳlós juice, akin to cheîn to pour, Latin fundere to pour ( fuse 2 ), English gut

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the small intestine, dietary triglycerides combine with other lipids and proteins, and enter the lacteals to form a milky fluid called chyle.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The chyle then travels through the lymphatic system, eventually entering the bloodstream.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The chyme becomes chyle, a creamy, nourishing substance which, while welling through more yardage of intestine, passes into the blood through lymphatic structure called lacteals.

From Time Magazine Archive

The thoracic duct opens into a vein leading directly to the heart; so that whatever portion of the chyle is not actually needed by the organism is thoroughly mixed with the general mass of blood.

From The American Reformed Cattle Doctor by Dadd, George

After a meal containing a portion of fat, they are then distended with chyle, which they are specially adapted to receive: at other times they are hardly discernible.

From A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene For Educational Institutions and General Readers by Hutchison, Joseph Chrisman