glomerulus

[ gloh-mer-yuh-luh s, gluh- ]

/ gloʊˈmɛr yə ləs, glə- /

noun, plural glo·mer·u·li [gloh-mer-yuh-lahy, gluh-] /gloʊˈmɛr yəˌlaɪ, glə-/. Anatomy.

a compact cluster of capillaries.

Also called Malpighian tuft. a tuft of convoluted capillaries in the nephron of a kidney, functioning to remove certain substances from the blood before it flows into the convoluted tubule.

Nearby words

glomerulitis, glomerulonephritis, glomerulopathy, glomerulosa cell, glomerulosclerosis, glomerular, glomi, glomma, glomus, glomus choroideum, glomus jugulare

Compare Bowman's capsule, Malpighian corpuscle.

Origin of glomerulus

1855–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin glomer- (stem of glomus) ball-shaped mass + -ulus -ule

Related formsglo·mer·u·lar, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for glomerular

The glomerular capsules are much distended, and numerous leucocytes are discernible throughout the organ.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth

British Dictionary definitions for glomerular

glomerulus

/ (ɡlɒˈmɛrʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

a knot of blood vessels in the kidney projecting into the capsular end of a urine-secreting tubule

any cluster or coil of blood vessels, nerve fibres, etc, in the body

Derived Formsglomerular, adjective

Word Origin for glomerulus

C18: from New Latin, diminutive of glomus ball

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 glomerular (1 of 2)

glomerular

[ glō-mĕr′yə-lər ]

adj.

Relating to or affecting a glomerulus or the glomeruli.

Medicine definitions for glomerular (2 of 2)

glomerulus

[ glō-mĕr′yə-ləs ]

n. pl. glo•mer•u•li (-lī′)

A small cluster or intertwined mass.

A tuft of capillaries situated within a Bowman's capsule at the end of a renal tubule in the vertebrate kidney that filters waste products from the blood and thus initiates urine formation.

The twisted secretory portion of a sweat gland.

A nerve ending consisting of a cluster of dendritic ramifications and axon terminals surrounded by a glial sheath.

Science definitions for glomerular

glomerulus

[ glō-mĕr′yə-ləs ]

Plural glomeruli (glō-mĕr′yə-lī′)

A knot of highly permeable capillaries located within the Bowman's capsule of a nephron. Waste products are filtered from the blood in the glomerulus, initiating the process of urine formation.