a blind, tubular sac or process branching off from a canal or cavity, esp. an abnormal, saclike herniation of the mucosal layer through the muscular wall of the colon.
Origin: 1640–50; < L, var. of dēverticulum byway, tributary, means of escape, equiv. to dēverti- (comb. form of dēvertere, equiv. to dē-de-+ vertere to turn) + -culum-cule2
Main Entry: di·ver·tic·u·lum Pronunciation: "dI-v&r-'tik-y&-l&m Function: noun Inflected Form: pluraldi·ver·tic·u·la/-l&/ 1: an abnormal pouch or sac opening from a hollow organ (as the intestine or bladder) 2: a blind tube or sac branching off from a cavity or canal of the body diverticulum of the intestine —Gordon Alexander>