SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

glomerulus

play

noun glo·mer·u·lus \ glə-ˈmer-(y)ə-ləs , glō- \

Definition of glomerulus

plural glomeruli play \glə-ˈmer-(y)ə-ˌlī, -ˌlē, glō-\

:a small convoluted or intertwined mass; especially :a tuft of capillaries at the point of origin of each vertebrate nephron that passes a protein-free filtrate to the surrounding Bowman's capsule

Origin and Etymology of glomerulus

New Latin, glomerulus, glomerule, diminutive of Latin glomer-, glomus ball; akin to Latin globus globe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1856

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

glomerulus

play

noun glo·mer·u·lus \ glə-ˈmer-(y)ə-ləs, glō- \

medical Definition of glomerulus

plural glomeruli play \-ˌlī, -ˌlē\

:a small convoluted or intertwined mass (as of organisms, nerve fibers, or capillaries): as

a :a tuft of capillaries that is covered by epithelium, is situated at the point of origin of each vertebrate nephron, and normally passes a protein-free filtrate from the blood to the surrounding Bowman's capsule — see renal corpuscle

b :the convoluted secretory part of a sweat gland

c :a dense entanglement of nerve fibers situated in the olfactory bulb and containing the primary synapses of the olfactory pathway — called also olfactory glomerulus

Illustration of glomerulus

Learn More about glomerulus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about glomerulus

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up glomerulus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

toothsome

play

agreeable, attractive, or delicious

BROWSE DICTIONARY

glomerulonephritis

glomerulose

glomerulus

glomus

gloom

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game