corpuscle

[ kawr-puhs-uhl ]

noun

1. Biology. an unattached cell, especially of a kind that floats freely, as a blood or lymph cell.
2. Anatomy. a small mass or body forming a more or less distinct part, as the sensory receptors at nerve terminals.
3. Physical Chemistry. a minute or elementary particle of matter, as an electron, proton, or atom.
4. any minute particle.

corpuscle

/ ˈkɔːpʌsəl; kɔːˈpʌskjʊlə /

noun

1. See leucocyte, erythrocyte
   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
2. anatomy the encapsulated ending of a sensory nerve
3. physics a discrete particle such as an electron, photon, ion, or atom
4. Also calledcorpusculekɔːˈpʌskjuːl any minute particle

Derived Forms

• corpuscular, adjective

Other Words From

• cor·pus·cu·lar [kawr-, puhs, -ky, uh, -ler], cor·pus·cu·lat·ed [kawr-, puhs, -ky, uh, -ley-tid], cor·pus·cu·lous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of corpuscle¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin corpusculum, equivalent to corpus “body” + -culum -cle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of corpuscle¹

C17: from Latin corpusculum a little body, from corpus body

Example Sentences

This is an expression which indicates the amount of hemoglobin in each red corpuscle compared with the normal amount.

From Project Gutenberg

The degree of pallor furnishes a rough index to the amount of hemoglobin in the corpuscle.

From Project Gutenberg

A single platelet lying upon a red corpuscle may easily be mistaken for a malarial parasite (Plate VI).

From Project Gutenberg

The organism is an actively motile spiral thread, about four times the diameter of a red corpuscle in length.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon, dark-brown granules derived from the hemoglobin of the corpuscle make their appearance within it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bacterium
• egg
• germ
• unit