Main Entry:

vac·u·ole

Pronunciation:

\ˈva-kyə-ˌwōl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, literally, small vacuum, from Latin vacuum

Date:

1853

1 : a small cavity or space in the tissues of an organism containing air or fluid 2 : a cavity or vesicle in the cytoplasm of a cell usually containing fluid — see cell illustration

— vac·u·o·lar \ˌva-kyə-ˈwō-lər, -ˌlär\ adjective