definitions

utricle

[ yoo-tri-kuh l ]
/ ˈyu trɪ kəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR utricle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small sac or baglike body, as an air-filled cavity in a seaweed.
Botany. a thin bladderlike pericarp or seed vessel.
Anatomy. the larger of two sacs in the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear.Compare saccule(def 1).

RELATED WORDS

kernel, germ, egg, unit, bacterium, stone, achene, caryopsis, embryo, microorganism, spore, vacuole, corpuscle, follicle, blister, cavity, bladder, cell, cyst, cellule

Nearby words

utopianism, utopism, utp, utraquist, utrecht, utricle, utricular, utricular nerve, utriculate, utriculitis, utriculoampullar nerve

Origin of utricle

1725–35; < Latin utriculus, diminutive of uter bag; see -cle1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for utricle

British Dictionary definitions for utricle

utricle

utriculus (juːˈtrɪkjʊləs)

/ (ˈjuːtrɪkəl) /

noun plural utricles or utriculi (juːˈtrɪkjʊˌlaɪ)

anatomy the larger of the two parts of the membranous labyrinth of the internal earCompare saccule
botany the bladder-like one-seeded indehiscent fruit of certain plants, esp sedges

Derived Forms

utricular or utriculate, adjective

Word Origin for utricle

C18: from Latin ūtriculus diminutive of ūter bag
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