villi
Use Villi in a sentence
əs [vil-ahy] . 1695–1705; < Latin: shaggy hair, thick nap
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
villus (ˈvɪləs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl villi | |
| 1. | zoology, anatomy any of the numerous finger-like projections of the mucous membrane lining the small intestine of many vertebrates |
| 2. | any similar membranous process, such as any of those in the mammalian placenta |
| 3. | botany any of various hairlike outgrowths, as from the stem of a moss |
| [C18: from Latin: shaggy hair] | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
villus vil·lus (vĭl'əs)
n. pl. vil·li (vĭl'ī)
A minute projection arising from a mucous membrane, especially one of the vascular projections of the small intestine.
Such a projection of the chorion that contributes to placental formation in mammals.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
| villus (vĭl'əs) Pronunciation Key
Plural villi (vĭl'ī) A small projection on the surface of a mucous membrane, such as that of the small intestine. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
villi
in anatomy any of the small, slender, vascular projections that increase the surface area of a membrane. Important villous membranes include the placenta and the mucous-membrane coating of the small intestine. The villi of the small intestine project into the intestinal cavity, greatly increasing the surface area for food absorption and adding digestive secretions. The villi number about 6,000 to 25,000 per square inch (10 to 40 per square millimetre) of tissue. They are most prevalent at the beginning of the small intestine and diminish in number toward the end of the tract.
Learn more about villi with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
