vesicle

English

A single juice vesicle from a grapefruit; many such vesicles make up the fruit's pulp.

Etymology

From Middle French vesicule, from Latin vēsīcula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛsɪkəl/, /ˈviːsɪkəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ves‧i‧cle
• Homophone: vesical (for some pronunciations)

Noun

vesicle (plural vesicles)

2. (cytology) A membrane-bound compartment found in a cell.
4. A small bladder-like cell or cavity, as:
   2. (botany) A small sac filled with juice, one of many constituting the pulp of a fruit such as an orange, lemon, or grapefruit.

      Coordinate term: acinus

   4. (biology, medicine) A small sac or cyst or vacuole, especially one containing fluid. A blister formed in or beneath the skin, containing serum. A bleb.
      2. (biology, medicine) (usually and especially) Such a blister that is less than 5 mm in diameter.

         Synonym: vesicula

         Coordinate term: bulla

6. (anatomy) A pocket of embryonic tissue that is the beginning of an organ.

   Coordinate term: germ

8. (geology) A small cavity formed in volcanic rock by entrapment of a gas bubble during solidification.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 51:

     It frequently contains holes, or vesicles, especially nearer the surface of a flow where gas has escaped.

Derived terms

• macrovesicle
• microvesicle
• minivesicle
• nanovesicle
• neurovesicle
• seminal vesicle
• transport vesicle
• tubulovesicle
• vesicular

 

Related terms

• vesica
• vesication
• vesicula
• vesicular
• vesiculation

Translations

cytology: membrane-bound compartment

• Finnish: rakkula (fi), vesikkeli (fi), kalvorakkula
• Galician: vesícula (gl) f
• Ido: veziketo (io)
• Japanese: 小胞 (しょうほう, shōhō)
• Polish: pęcherzyk (pl) m
• Spanish: vesícula (es) f

small bladderlike cell or cavity

• Bulgarian: мехурче n (mehurče)
• Catalan: vesícula f
• Finnish: rakkula (fi)
• German: Blase (de) f
• Hungarian: hólyag (hu), hólyagocska, hólyagcsa
• Ido: veziketo (io)
• Romanian: veziculă (ro) f

anatomy: small sac or cyst

• Bulgarian: торбичка (bg) f (torbička), киста f (kista)
• Catalan: vesícula f
• Finnish: rakko (fi)
• German: Blase (de) f
• Hungarian: vízhólyag (hu)
• Ido: veziketo (io)
• Japanese: 水疱 (ja) (すいほう, suihō)

anatomy: pocket of embryonic tissue

• Finnish: rakkula (fi)
• Ido: veziketo (io)
• Japanese: 小胞 (しょうほう, shōhō)

geology: small cavity

• Bulgarian: кухина (bg) f (kuhina)
• Finnish: rakkula (fi)
• German: Blase (de) f
• Japanese: 気孔 (ja) (きこう, kikō)