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corpuscle

 - 5 dictionary results

cor⋅pus⋅cle

  [kawr-puh-suhl, -puhs-uhl]
Use corpuscle in a Sentence
–noun
1. Biology. an unattached cell, esp. of a kind that floats freely, as a blood or lymph cell.
2. Anatomy. a small mass or body forming a more or less distinct part, as the sensory receptors at nerve terminals.
3. Physical Chemistry. a minute or elementary particle of matter, as an electron, proton, or atom.
4. any minute particle.
Also, cor⋅pus⋅cule  [kawr-puhs-kyool] .

Origin:
1650–60; < L corpusculum, equiv. to corpus body + -culum -cle 1

Related forms:
cor⋅pus⋅cu⋅lar  [kawr-puhs-kyuh-ler] , cor⋅pus⋅cu⋅lat⋅ed  [kawr-puhs-kyuh-ley-tid] , cor⋅pus⋅cu⋅lous, adjective
cor⋅pus⋅cu⋅lar⋅i⋅ty  [kawr-puhs-kyuh-lar-i-tee] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cor·pus·cle   (kôr'pə-səl, -pŭs'əl)   
n.  

    1. An unattached body cell, such as a blood or lymph cell.

    2. A rounded globular mass of cells, such as the pressure receptor on certain nerve endings.

  2. A discrete particle, such as a photon or an electron.

  3. A minute globular particle.


[Latin corpusculum, diminutive of corpus, body; see kwrep- in Indo-European roots.]
cor·pus'cu·lar (kôr-pŭs'kyə-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

corpuscle 
1660, from L. corpusculum, dim. of corpus "body" (see corporeal). Originally "any small particle;" first applied to blood cells 1845.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cor·pus·cle
Pronunciation: 'kor-(")p&s-&l
Function: noun
1 : a living cell; especially : one (as ared or white blood cell or a cell in cartilage or bone) not aggregated into continuous tissues
2 : any of various small circumscribed multicellular bodies —usually used witha qualifying term corpuscles> —cor·pus·cu·lar /kor-'p&s-ky&-l&r/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

corpuscle cor·pus·cle (kôr'pə-səl, -pŭs'əl)
n.

  1. An unattached body cell, such as a blood or lymph cell.

  2. A rounded, globular mass of cells, such as the pressure receptor on certain nerve endings.

cor·pus'cu·lar (kôr-pŭs'kyə-lər) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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