tubercle

[ too-ber-kuhl, tyoo- ]

/ ˈtu bər kəl, ˈtyu- /

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noun

a small rounded projection or excrescence, as on a bone or on the surface of the body.

Pathology.

a small, firm, rounded nodule or swelling.
such a swelling as the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis.

Botany. a tuberlike swelling or nodule.

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Origin of tubercle

From the Latin word tūberculum, dating back to 1570–80. See tuber¹, -cle¹

Words nearby tubercle

tube-nosed, tube pan, tuber, tube railway, tuber cinereum, tubercle, tubercle bacillus, tubercle of rib, tubercle of trapezium, tubercula dolorosa, tubercular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tubercle in a sentence

There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The sputum of more advanced cases resembles that of chronic bronchitis, with the addition of tubercle bacilli and elastic fibers.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
These globular masses usually contain many tubercle bacilli.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Tubercle bacilli are nearly always present, although animal inoculation may be necessary to detect them.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

Ordinarily, no attempt is made to identify any but the tubercle bacillus and the gonococcus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for tubercle

tubercle

/ (ˈtjuːbəkəl) /

noun

any small rounded nodule or elevation, esp on the skin, on a bone, or on a plant

any small rounded pathological lesion of the tissues, esp one characteristic of tuberculosis

Word Origin for tubercle

C16: from Latin tūberculum a little swelling, diminutive of tuber

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

Medical definitions for tubercle

tubercle

[ tōō′bər-kəl ]

An anatomical nodule.tuberculum

A small elevation on the surface of a tooth.

A nodule or swelling, especially a mass of lymphocytes and epithelioid cells forming the characteristic granulomatous lesion of tuberculosis.

Scientific definitions for tubercle

tubercle

[ tōō′bər-kəl ]

A small rounded projection, swelling, or lump, as on the roots of legumes or on bodily tissue, especially the cluster of inflammatory cells that form in the lungs in tuberculosis.