corpuscular

American  

[kawr-puhs-kyuh-ler] / kɔrˈpʌs kyə lər /

Rarely corpusculated

adjective

1. Biology. of or relating to a corpuscle, or unattached cell, especially of the kind that floats freely, such as a blood or lymph cell.

   Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is the average size of red blood cells.

2. Anatomy. of or relating to a corpuscle, a small mass or body of cells forming a more or less distinct part, such as the sensory receptors at nerve endings.

3. Physical Chemistry. of or relating to a corpuscle, a minute or elementary particle of matter, such as an electron, proton, or atom.

4. being, relating to, or similar to a particle.

   Do the experiment with something known to be corpuscular rather than wavelike, such as marbles.

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Other Word Forms

• corpuscularity noun
• intercorpuscular adjective
• noncorpuscular adjective

Etymology

Origin of corpuscular

First recorded in 1660–70; Latin corpuscul(um) “small body” ( see corpuscle ( def. )) + -ar ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles travelling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

A German astronomer, Ludwig Biermann, suggested that particles emitted from the sun — what he called solar corpuscular radiation — were shaping the comet tails.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2018

Newton took Descartes’idea and developed the corpuscular theory of light.

From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2013

Statesmen Henry Agard Wallace, often laid out for his oratorical generosities, lay down on a Red Cross cot in Washington, gave his corpuscular pint to the blood bank.

From Time Magazine Archive

In English there was an alternative: Robert Boyle invented the term ‘the corpuscularian philosophy’ in 1662 to cover both ancient atomism and Descartes’ new corpuscular theory.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton