vesicle

[ ves-i-kuh l ]

/ ˈvɛs ɪ kəl /

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.

Nearby words

vesical vein, vesicant, vesicate, vesication, vesicatory, vesicle, vesico-, vesicocele, vesicoclysis, vesicofixation, vesicopustular

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

Examples from the Web for vesicle

The three parts—the centripetal fibre, the vesicle, and the centrifugal fibre—conjointly constitute a simple nervous arc.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume II (of 2)|John William Draper
The embryonic area is formed in the usual way, and its long axis is placed at right angles to that of the vesicle.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
This Kuppel has precisely the same relations and a very similar appearance to our vesicle.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
My specimen exhibits them in every stage of growth, from a minute point to a vesicle the size of a hens egg.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

The vesicle as a rule does not exceed a pin head in size but may become as large as a pea.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for vesicle

vesicle

/ (ˈvɛsɪkəl) /

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 Forms

vesicular (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

Medicine definitions for vesicle

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.

Science definitions for vesicle

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 forms

vesicular adjective (vĕ-sĭk′yə-lər, və-)