utricle

[yoo-tri-kuh l]

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).

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. 2018

Related Words for utricle

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

Examples from the Web for utricle

Historical Examples of utricle

In animal cells the former is wanting, the membrane representing the utricle.
Was Man Created?
Henry A. Mott
Utricle (pyxis) of Amaranth, opening all round (circumscissile).
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
The base of the stapes communicates 723 pressures to the utricle.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7
Various
Pressure of the base of the stapes is exerted on the utricle.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7
Various
A simple primordial cell or utricle, the most simply organized being, whether animal or vegetable matters little.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6
E. Rameur

British Dictionary definitions for utricle

utricle

utriculus (juːˈtrɪkjʊləs)

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 Formsutricular 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