SINCE 1828
tubule
noun
tu·bule
| \ ˈtü-(ˌ)byül
, ˈtyü-\
, ˈtyü-\
Definition of tubule
: a small tube
especially
: a slender elongated anatomical channel
Examples of tubule in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to the National Cancer Insitute, renal cell cancer occurs when cancer cells are found in the lining of the tubules in the kidney. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Hallmark Channel Host Cameron Mathison Reveals He Has Kidney Cancer: 'Feeling Very Optimistic'," 10 Sep. 2019 This may eventually compromise the underlying dentin, which is a tissue containing hollow canals called tubules. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Reasons Your Teeth Are So Agonizingly Sensitive," 18 Apr. 2018 This can aggravate the tubules in your dentin, causing sensitivity, Dr. Wolff says. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Reasons Your Teeth Are So Agonizingly Sensitive," 18 Apr. 2018 When food is nearby, the plasmodium forms a network of slender tubules that branch out in search of it, eventually finding the optimal path. — Eoin O'carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, "What slime molds can teach us about thinking," 12 Apr. 2018 Another project replaces the giant carbon-containment vessels for natural-gas storage with an intestine of tiny plastic tubules, allowing natural-gas tanks to fit any arbitrary shape as well as reducing the risk of catastrophic rupture. — Tim O'reilly, The Atlantic, "What Will Our Lives Be Like as Cyborgs?," 27 Oct. 2017 Old baleen splits like fingernails, which reveals its structure: each curved plate is two flat keratin layers with rows of tubules, like miniature coils of tightly rolled luncheon meat, sandwiched between. — Jennifer S. Holland, Smithsonian, "A Whale’s Baleen Bristles Reveal the Story of Its Life," 1 Sep. 2017 But for some reason, the tubules themselves have been lost to evolutionary history. — National Geographic, "5 Times Evolution Ran in ‘Reverse’," 6 Oct. 2016 A tubule connected to the stylet acts as a tow line, which the predatory cell uses to draw the prey cell close enough to strike—at which point the predatory cell actually unzips its own cell membrane to engulf the prey cell. — Rachel Brown, National Geographic, "‘Gatling Gun’ Plankton Reveals Violent Microbial World," 5 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tubule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tubule
tubule
noun
tu·bule
| \ ˈt(y)ü-(ˌ)byü(ə)l
\
\
Medical Definition of tubule
: a small tube
especially
: a slender elongated anatomical channel
Comments on tubule
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