corpuscle

[kawr-puh-suh l, -puhs-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corpuscle ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Also cor·pus·cule

[kawr-puhs-kyool] /kɔrˈpʌs kyul/.

Origin of corpuscle

1650–60; < Latin corpusculum, equivalent to corpus body + -culum -cle¹

Related formscor·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, adjectivecor·pus·cu·lar·i·ty

[kawr-puhs-kyuh-lar-i-tee] /kɔrˌpʌs kyəˈlær ɪ ti/, nounin·ter·cor·pus·cu·lar, adjectivenon·cor·pus·cu·lar, adjective

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

Related Words for corpuscle

germ, egg, unit, bacterium, beef, muscle, meat, fat, embryo, microorganism, spore, vacuole, corpuscle, follicle, utricle, weight, brawn, food, fatness, cells

Examples from the Web for corpuscle

Historical Examples of corpuscle

The ion differs from the molecule, the corpuscle and the atom in that it is an ion.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
The soldier, or so to say, the corpuscle, separating at the command "Break ranks!"
Dona Perfecta
B. Perez Galdos
Let us see about this latest theory—the Corpuscle or Electron Theory.
Dynamic Thought
William Walker Atkinson
It will be noticed that there are usually two bodies in a corpuscle.
Special Report on Diseases of Cattle
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The body is, as a rule, situated near the edge of the corpuscle.
Special Report on Diseases of Cattle
U.S. Department of Agriculture

British Dictionary definitions for corpuscle

corpuscle

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

Derived Formscorpuscular (kɔːˈpʌskjʊlə), adjective

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

Word Origin and History for 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.

corpuscle in Medicine