tubule

noun

tu·bule ˈtü-(ˌ)byül

ˈtyü-

: a small tube

especially : a slender elongated anatomical channel

Example Sentences

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, 10 Sep. 2019 This may eventually compromise the underlying dentin, which is a tissue containing hollow canals called tubules. —

Korin Miller, SELF, 18 Apr. 2018 This can aggravate the tubules in your dentin, causing sensitivity, Dr. Wolff says. —

Korin Miller, SELF, 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, 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, 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, 1 Sep. 2017 But for some reason, the tubules themselves have been lost to evolutionary history. —

National Geographic, 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, 5 Apr. 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tubule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.