tubercle

[ too-ber-kuhl, tyoo- ]

noun
  1. a small rounded projection or excrescence, as on a bone or on the surface of the body.

  2. Pathology.

    • a small, firm, rounded nodule or swelling.

    • such a swelling as the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis.

  1. Botany. a tuberlike swelling or nodule.

Origin of tubercle

1
From the Latin word tūberculum, dating back to 1570–80. See tuber1, -cle1

Words Nearby tubercle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tubercle in a sentence

  • There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • The sputum of more advanced cases resembles that of chronic bronchitis, with the addition of tubercle bacilli and elastic fibers.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • These globular masses usually contain many tubercle bacilli.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • tubercle bacilli are nearly always present, although animal inoculation may be necessary to detect them.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • Ordinarily, no attempt is made to identify any but the tubercle bacillus and the gonococcus.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for tubercle

tubercle

/ (ˈtjuːbəkəl) /


noun
  1. any small rounded nodule or elevation, esp on the skin, on a bone, or on a plant

  2. any small rounded pathological lesion of the tissues, esp one characteristic of tuberculosis

Origin of tubercle

1
C16: from Latin tūberculum a little swelling, diminutive of tuber

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tubercle

tubercle

[ tōōbər-kəl ]


  1. A small rounded projection, swelling, or lump, as on the roots of legumes or on bodily tissue, especially the cluster of inflammatory cells that form in the lungs in tuberculosis.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.