vesicle

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noun ves·i·cle \ ˈve-si-kəl \

Definition of vesicle

1 a :a membranous and usually fluid-filled pouch (such as a cyst, vacuole, or cell) in a plant or animal

b :a small abnormal elevation of the outer layer of skin enclosing a watery liquid :blister

c :a pocket of embryonic tissue that is the beginning of an organ

2 :a small cavity in a mineral or rock

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Recent Examples of vesicle from the Web

The chemicals are enclosed in tiny vesicles called exosomes that the cells shed.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Young cardiac cells rejuvenate heart in animal study," 29 Aug. 2017
A doctor used a scalpel and a quill to take fluid from smallpox vesicles on the skin of a person in the throes of the disease.

— stephen coss, Smithsonian, "What Led Benjamin Franklin to Live Estranged From His Wife for Nearly Two Decades?," 24 Aug. 2017
If your partner has prostate surgery, the prostate and seminal vesicle, both of which produce the fluid which help the sperm navigate the ejaculatory duct, are often removed, Dr. Chapin says.

— korin miller, SELF, "What to Do if Your Partner Is Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer," 21 July 2017
Some of them even worked inside fatty acid vesicles, a laboratory stand-in for protocells.

— roland pease, Science | AAAS, "How sunlight might have jump-started life on Earth," 12 July 2017
A foot-long oval split down the middle, and each half is full of little capsules like the vesicles in an orange segment.

— neil ever osborne, Smithsonian, "Darwin Would Have Loved the Cliffs of Newfoundland, Where 500-Million-Years-Old Fossils Reside," 2 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vesicle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vesicle

Middle French vesicule, from Latin vesicula small bladder, blister, from diminutive of vesica

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First Known Use: 1578

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Medical Dictionary

vesicle

play

noun ves·i·cle \ ˈves-i-kəl \

medical Definition of vesicle

1 a :a membranous and usually fluid-filled pouch (as a cyst, vacuole, or cell) in a plant or animal

b :synaptic vesicle

2 :a small abnormal elevation of the outer layer of skin enclosing a watery liquid :blister

3 :a pocket of embryonic tissue that is the beginning of an organ — see brain vesicle, optic vesicle, otic vesicle

Learn More about vesicle

Spanish Central: Translation of vesicle Nglish: Translation of vesicle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of vesicle for Arabic speakers

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vesicle

Definition of vesicle

Recent Examples of vesicle from the Web

Origin and Etymology of vesicle

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vesicle

medical Definition of vesicle

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