chyle

chyle   (kīl)    n.  A milky fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fat extracted from chyme by the lacteals during digestion and passed to the bloodstream through the thoracic duct. [French, from Late Latin chȳlus, from Greek khūlos, juice; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.] chy·la'ceous (kī-lā'shəs), chy'lous (kī'ləs) adj.

chyle 

Main Entry: chyle
Pronunciation: 'kI(&)l
Function: noun
: lymph that is milky from emulsified fats, characteristically present in the lacteals, and mostapparent during intestinal absorption of fats

chyle (kīl)
n.
A turbid, white or pale yellow fluid taken up by the lacteals from the intestine during digestion and carried by the lymphatic system via the thoracic duct into the circulation.

---

chy·la'ceous (kī-lā'shəs) or chy'lous (kī'ləs) adj.

chyle

lymph laden with fat that has been absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine. The fat globules, which give chyle a milky appearance, have a thin protein coating and are a micron or less in size (there are about 25,000 microns to an inch). After a meal it takes two to three hours for fat to be absorbed from the small intestine, travel through ever larger lymph channels until it reaches the thoracic duct (one of the two main lymphatic trunks), and enter the bloodstream by way of an opening from the duct into the left brachiocephalic vein. (This vein collects blood from the left arm, the neck, and the head.

Learn more about chyle with a free trial on Britannica.com.