Main Entry: vil·lus

Pronunciation: \ˈvi-ləs\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural vil·li \ˈvi-ˌlī, -(ˌ)lē\

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, tuft of shaggy hair — more at velvet

Date: 1728

: a small slender often vascular process: as a : one of the minute finger-shaped processes of the mucous membrane of the small intestine that serve in the absorption of nutriment b : one of the branching processes of the surface of the chorion of the developing embryo of most mammals that help to form the placenta