diverticulum

[ dahy-ver-tik-yuh-luh m ]

/ ˌdaɪ vərˈtɪk yə ləm /

noun, plural di·ver·tic·u·la [dahy-ver-tik-yuh-luh] /ˌdaɪ vərˈtɪk yə lə/. Anatomy.

a blind, tubular sac or process branching off from a canal or cavity, especially an abnormal, saclike herniation of the mucosal layer through the muscular wall of the colon.

Nearby words

diverticular disease, diverticulectomy, diverticulitis, diverticuloma, diverticulosis, diverticulum, divertimento, diverting, divertissement, divertive, dives

Origin of diverticulum

1640–50; < Latin, variant of dēverticulum byway, tributary, means of escape, equivalent to dēverti- (combining form of dēvertere, equivalent to dē- de- + vertere to turn) + -culum -cule²

Related forms

di·ver·tic·u·lar, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for diverticula

These diverticula extend usually one into each of the dorsal papillae or “cerata” when these are present.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
He regarded them as the cause of the gas bubbles to be found in diverticula.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley
It has commenced to bud off diverticula, which subsequently become the tubules of the Wolffian body (vide fig. 13, wd).
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The diverticula from the alimentary cavity form the water-vascular system and the somatic and splanchnic layers of mesoblast.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

The cavity of the diverticula after the separation of the water-vascular system, forms the body-cavity.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for diverticula

diverticulum

/ (ˌdaɪvəˈtɪkjʊləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

any sac or pouch formed by herniation of the wall of a tubular organ or part, esp the intestines

Derived Forms

diverticular, adjective

Word Origin for diverticulum

C16: from New Latin, from Latin dēverticulum by-path, from dēvertere to turn aside, from vertere to turn

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

Medicine definitions for diverticula

diverticulum

[ dī′vûr-tĭk′yə-ləm ]

n. pl. di•ver•tic•u•la (-lə)

A pouch or sac branching out from a hollow organ or structure.

Related forms

di′ver•tic′u•lar adj.

Science definitions for diverticula

diverticulum

[ dī′vûr-tĭk′yə-ləm ]

Plural diverticula

A pouch or sac branching out from a portion of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the large intestine. A diverticulum can occur as a normal structure, or it can be caused by a hernia.