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glomeruli - 3 dictionary results

glo⋅mer⋅u⋅lus

  [gloh-mer-yuh-luhs, gluh-]
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–noun, plural -li  [-lahy] . Anatomy.
1. a compact cluster of capillaries.
2. Also called Malpighian tuft. a tuft of convoluted capillaries in the nephron of a kidney, functioning to remove certain substances from the blood before it flows into the convoluted tubule.

Origin:
1855–60; < NL, equiv. to L glomer- (s. of glomus) ball-shaped mass + -ulus -ule

Related forms:
glo⋅mer⋅u⋅lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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glo·mer·u·lus   (glō-měr'yə-ləs)   
n.   pl. glo·mer·u·li (-lī') Anatomy
  1. A small cluster or mass of blood vessels or nerve fibers.
  2. A tuft of capillaries situated within a Bowman's capsule at the end of a renal tubule in the vertebrate kidney that filters waste products from the blood and thus initiates urine formation.

[New Latin, diminutive of Latin glomus, glomer-, ball.]
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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glomerulus   (glō-měr'yə-ləs)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural glomeruli (glō-měr'yə-lī')
A knot of highly permeable capillaries located within the Bowman's capsule of a nephron. Waste products are filtered from the blood in the glomerulus, initiating the process of urine formation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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