vesicle

[ves-i-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vesicle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small sac or cyst.

Biology. a small bladderlike cavity, especially one filled with fluid.

Pathology. a circumscribed elevation of the epidermis containing serous fluid; blister.

Geology. a small, usually spherical cavity in a rock or mineral, formed by expansion of a gas or vapor before the enclosing body solidified.

Origin of vesicle

First recorded in 1570–80, vesicle is from the Latin word vēsīcula little bladder. See vesica, -ule

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vesicle

blister, cavity, bladder, cell, cyst, utricle

Examples from the Web for vesicle

Historical Examples of vesicle

We find that no vesicle wants its coating of this earthy mineral.
The Cruise of the Betsey
Hugh Miller
The proper capsule of the Graafian vesicle is composed of two layers.
A System of Midwifery
Edward Rigby
There is no appearance of vesicle, nor is the skin discoloured.
The Other World; or, Glimpses of the Supernatural (Vol. I of II)
Various
Near each of their spiracles also is a vesicle which appears to be a reservoir.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)
William Kirby
This vesicle, of a milky-white colour, and filled with liquid, is the scolex.
Animal Parasites and Messmates
P. J. Van Beneden

British Dictionary definitions for vesicle

vesicle

noun

pathol

any small sac or cavity, esp one containing serous fluid
a blister

geology a rounded cavity within a rock formed during solidification by expansion of the gases present in the magma

botany a small bladder-like cavity occurring in certain seaweeds and aquatic plants

any small cavity or cell

Derived Formsvesicular (vɛˈsɪkjʊlə), adjectivevesicularly, adverb

Word Origin for vesicle

C16: from Latin vēsīcula, diminutive of vesica

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

Word Origin and History for vesicle

1570s, from Middle French vesicule, from Latin vesicula, diminutive of vesica "bladder, blister" (see ventral).

vesicle in Medicine

vesicle

[vĕs′ĭ-kəl]

n.

A small structure resembling a bladder.

A small circumscribed elevation of the skin containing serum.

A small sac or cyst containing liquid or gas.

vesicle in Science

vesicle

[vĕs′ĭ-kəl]

A small fluid-filled sac in the body.

A membrane-bound sac in eukaryotic cells that stores or transports the products of metabolism in the cell and is sometimes the site for the breaking down of metabolic wastes. Vesicles bulge out and break off from the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Vesicles get their energy for mobility from ATP. Lysosomes and peroxisomes are vesicles.

A small cavity formed in volcanic rock by entrapment of a gas bubble during solidification.

Related formsvesicular adjective (vĕ-sĭk′yə-lər, və-)