corpuscle
[ kawr-puh-suh l, -puhs-uh l ]
/ ˈkɔr pə səl, -pʌs əl /
noun
Biology. an unattached cell, especially of a kind that floats freely, as a blood or lymph cell.
Anatomy. a small mass or body forming a more or less distinct part, as the sensory receptors at nerve terminals.
Physical Chemistry. a minute or elementary particle of matter, as an electron, proton, or atom.
any minute particle.
RELATED WORDS
germ, egg, unit, bacterium, beef, muscle, meat, fat, embryo, microorganism, spore, vacuole, follicle, utricle, weight, brawn, food, fatness, corpuscles, cells
Nearby words
- corpus luteum,
- corpus luteum hormone,
- corpus spongiosum,
- corpus striatum,
- corpus vile,
- corpuscular,
- corpuscular lymph,
- corpuscular radiation,
- corpuscular theory,
- corpuscule
Also cor·pus·cule [kawr-puhs-kyool] /kɔrˈpʌs kyul/.
Origin of corpuscle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for corpuscle
corpuscle
/ (ˈkɔːpʌsəl) /
noun
any cell or similar minute body that is suspended in a fluid, esp any of the red blood corpuscles (erythrocytes) or white blood corpuscles (see leucocytes)See also erythrocyte, leucocyte
anatomy the encapsulated ending of a sensory nerve
physics a discrete particle such as an electron, photon, ion, or atom
Also called: corpuscule (kɔːˈpʌskjuːl) any minute particle
Word Origin for corpuscle
C17: from Latin corpusculum a little body, from corpus body
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
corpuscle
1650s, "any small particle," from Latin corpusculum "a puny body; an atom, particle," diminutive of corpus "body" (see corporeal). First applied to blood cells 1845. Related: Corpuscular.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
corpuscle
[ kôr′pə-səl, -pŭs′əl ]
n.
An unattached body cell, such as a blood or lymph cell.
A rounded, globular mass of cells, such as the pressure receptor on certain nerve endings.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
corpuscle
[ kôr′pə-səl ]
Any of various cellular or small multicellular structures in the body, especially a red or white blood cell.
See particle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.