nodule

[noj-ool]

noun

1. a small node, knot, or knob.

2. a small, rounded mass or lump.

3. Botany.,  a tubercle.

nodule

/ ˈnɒdjuːl /

noun

1. a small knot, lump, or node

2. Also called: root nodule. any of the knoblike outgrowths on the roots of clover and many other legumes: contain bacteria involved in nitrogen fixation

3. anatomy any small node or knoblike protuberance

4. a small rounded lump of rock or mineral substance, esp in a matrix of different rock material

nodule

1. A small, usually hard mass of tissue in the body.

2. A small, knoblike outgrowth found on the roots of many legumes, such as alfalfa, beans, and peas. Nodules grow after the roots have been infected with nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Rhizobium.

3. See more at legume

4. A small, rounded lump of a mineral or mixture of minerals that is distinct from and usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment. Nodules often form by replacement of a small part of the rocks in which they form.

Other Word Forms

• nodular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nodule¹

1590–1600; < Latin nōdulus a little knot, equivalent to nōd ( us ) node + -ulus -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of nodule¹

C17: from Latin nōdulus, from nōdus knot

Example Sentences

Legumes such as beans and peas naturally form root nodules, specialized structures that create the oxygen-poor conditions these bacteria require.

Read more on Science Daily

This vast region is targeted for the extraction of polymetallic nodules that contain valuable minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper -- key components for electric vehicles and renewable technologies.

Read more on Science Daily

The Cook Islands -- which lays claim to one of the world's biggest deposits of polymetallic nodules -- signed a contentious deep-sea mining cooperation deal with China earlier this year.

Read more on Barron's

The discovery was made after the Democrat politician reported urinary symptoms which led doctors to find a small nodule on his prostate.

Read more on BBC

Many of the minerals involved in proposed deep sea mining operations are located on black, potato-shaped nodules that lie on the seafloor.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• growth 
• knot 
• node