globule

American  

[glob-yool] / ˈglɒb yul /

noun

1. a small spherical body.

2. Bok globule.

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globule British  

/ ˈɡlɒbjuːl /

noun

1. a small globe, esp a drop of liquid

2. astronomy a small dark nebula thought to be a site of star formation

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Etymology

Origin of globule

From the Latin word globulus, dating back to 1655–65. See globe, -ule

Explanation

A globule is a small drop or blob of something, especially a thick liquid. It was only after you dripped globules of paint all over your bedroom floor that you realized you should have used a drop cloth when you painted the ceiling. When the word globule first appeared in English during the 17th century, it specifically referred to a tiny round thing, a "little globe or sphere." Its roots go back to the Latin globus, "round mass or ball." These days it's perfectly acceptable to talk about a globule of anything that's dripping or forming a small, blobby mass, like the globules of oatmeal in the hair of an enthusiastic baby at breakfast.

Example Sentences

Lord Globule was a backward lad, Round leaden eyes Lord Globule had.

From Time Magazine Archive

He sauntered up to the silly Globule and took an unpremeditated Swipe.

From Ade's Fables by Ade, George

He sauntered up to the silly Globule and look an unpremeditated Swipe.

From Ade's Fables by McCutcheon, John T.

He had recently taken to homoeopathy, and started a medical journal, which he named The Globule, which died at its fifth number.

From Caught in the Net by Gaboriau, Émile

Globule: a small particle of matter shaped like a globe.

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William