tubule

noun tu·bule \ ˈtü-(ˌ)byül , ˈtyü- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of tubule

: a small tube; especially : a slender elongated anatomical channel

Recent Examples of tubule from the Web

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. 2017
Cockroaches possess structures called Malpighian tubules, which pull wastes from their internal liquids; the liquids return to circulation, and the wastes are excreted in solid or semi-solid form, and can contain excess nitrogen.

— brandon keim, WIRED, "Cockroach Superpower No. 42: On-Board Nitrogen Recycling," 27 Oct. 2009
While the aphid excretory system isn’t widely studied, research so far suggests that the bugs have genes that seem similar to the ones in other insects’ Malpighian tubules.

— National Geographic, "5 Times Evolution Ran in ‘Reverse’," 6 Oct. 2016

These 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.