corpuscle

[ kawr-puhs-uhl ]
See synonyms for: corpusclecorpuscles on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. Physical Chemistry. a minute or elementary particle of matter, as an electron, proton, or atom.

  2. any minute particle.

Origin of corpuscle

1
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin corpusculum, equivalent to corpus “body” + -culum -cle1
  • Also cor·pus·cule [kawr-puhs-kyool]. /kɔrˈpʌs kyul/.

Other words from corpuscle

  • cor·pus·cu·lar [kawr-puhs-kyuh-ler], /kɔrˈpʌs kyə lər/, cor·pus·cu·lat·ed [kawr-puhs-kyuh-ley-tid], /kɔrˈpʌs kyəˌleɪ tɪd/, cor·pus·cu·lous, adjective

Words Nearby corpuscle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use corpuscle in a sentence

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

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • The degree of pallor furnishes a rough index to the amount of hemoglobin in the corpuscle.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • A single platelet lying upon a red corpuscle may easily be mistaken for a malarial parasite (Plate VI).

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • The organism is an actively motile spiral thread, about four times the diameter of a red corpuscle in length.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • Soon, dark-brown granules derived from the hemoglobin of the corpuscle make their appearance within it.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for corpuscle

corpuscle

/ (ˈkɔːpʌsəl) /


noun
  1. 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

  1. physics a discrete particle such as an electron, photon, ion, or atom

  2. Also called: corpuscule (kɔːˈpʌskjuːl) any minute particle

Origin of corpuscle

1
C17: from Latin corpusculum a little body, from corpus body

Derived forms of corpuscle

  • corpuscular (kɔːˈpʌskjʊlə), adjective

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 corpuscle

corpuscle

[ kôrpə-səl ]


  1. Any of various cellular or small multicellular structures in the body, especially a red or white blood cell.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.