vacuole
Americannoun
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a membrane-bound cavity within a cell, often containing a watery liquid or secretion.
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a minute cavity or vesicle in organic tissue.
noun
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A cavity within the cytoplasm of a cell, surrounded by a single membrane and containing fluid, food, or metabolic waste. Vacuoles are found in the cells of plants, protists, and some primitive animals. In mature plant cells, there is usually one large vacuole which occupies a large part of the cell's volume and is filled with a liquid called cell sap. The cell sap stores food reserves, pigments, defensive toxins, and waste products to be expelled or broken down. In the cells of protists, however, there may be many small specialized vacuoles, such as digestive vacuoles for the absorption of captured food and contractile vacuoles for the expulsion of excess water or wastes.
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See more at cell
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vacuole
From French, dating back to 1850–55; see origin at vacuum, -ole 1
Explanation
A cell is a tiny world of elements, one of which is the vacuole. Found in both plant and animal cells, a vacuole is a fluid-filled pocket in the cell's cytoplasm that serves varying functions depending on the cell's requirements. Look at the word vacuole. Reminds you of "vacuum," doesn't it? That's because both words comes from the Latin word vacuus, which means "empty." In fact, vacuole comes from the French word that means "little vacuum." However, whereas a "vacuum" refers to an empty space, the vacuole usually contains a watery fluid. It is a space in the cell that has no specific purpose, but usually functions as a storage bin for everything from water and food to waste products.
Vocabulary lists containing vacuole
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Life Science: Cell Biology
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Cell Biology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The detachment of the protrusion from the cell membrane results in the formation of a vacuole within the neighboring cell.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024
A vacuole is a structure reserved for storage and digestion within a cell.
From Science Daily • Dec. 1, 2023
By attaching a green fluorescent tag to the protein, he and his colleagues verified that it had localized to the yeast’s vacuole, as they hoped.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 18, 2023
Food captured in the oral groove enters a food vacuole, where it combines with digestive enzymes.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
A, Germinating spores. s, Wall of spore; v, vacuole; w, rhizoid.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
