nodule

American  

[noj-ool] / ˈnɒdʒ ul /

noun

1. a small node, knot, or knob.

2. a small, rounded mass or lump.

3. Botany. a tubercle.

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nodule British  

/ 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

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nodule Scientific  

/ nŏj′o̅o̅l /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• nodular adjective

Etymology

Origin of nodule

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

Example Sentences

The deposits are scattered across the seabed in the form of small rocks known as nodules, akin to black golf balls filled with cobalt, copper and manganese, as well as some rare earths.

From The Wall Street Journal

The symptoms are fever, mucal discharge and nodules on the skin.

From BBC

If the ISA concludes that current mining techniques are too destructive, companies could try to develop less intrusive ways of extracting nodules from the seafloor.

From BBC

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

From 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.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• growth
• knot
• node