vesicle

views updated Jun 11 2018

ve·si·cle / ˈvesikəl/ • n. a fluid- or air-filled cavity or sac, in particular: ∎  Anat. & Zool. a small fluid-filled bladder, sac, cyst, or vacuole within the body. ∎  Bot. an air-filled swelling in a plant, esp. a seaweed. ∎  Geol. a small cavity in volcanic rock, produced by gas bubbles in the molten lava. ∎  Med. a small blister full of clear fluid.DERIVATIVES: ve·sic·u·lar / vəˈsikyələr/ adj.ve·sic·u·lat·ed / vəˈsikyəˌlātid/ adj.ve·sic·u·la·tion / vəˌsikyəˈlāshən/ n.

vesicle

views updated May 08 2018

vesicle (adj. vesicular) A bubble-shaped cavity in lava, formed by the expansion of entrapped gases. Such cavities may later become filled with material deposited from solution. Vesicular basalt (bubbly basalt lava) is basaltic lava containing numerous openings, generally ellipsoidal or cylindrical in shape, formed by the expansion of dissolved gases in the molten rock. See also AMYGDALE; and SCORIACEOUS.

vesicle

views updated May 18 2018

vesicle
1. Generally, any small bladder-like structure containing a fluid.

2. A small, membrane-bound, fluid-filled sphere that occurs, often in large numbers, in the cytoplasm of many eukaryotic cells. Vesicles may be variously associated with the uptake and discharge of materials in cells and also with their transport and storage.

vesicle

views updated Jun 08 2018

vesicle A small, usually fluid-filled, membrane-bound sac within the cytoplasm of a living cell. Vesicles occur, for example, as part of the Golgi apparatus, as lysosomes, or as microbodies.

vesicle

views updated May 14 2018

vesicle
1. Generally, any small bladderlike structure containing a fluid.

2. A small, membrane-bound, fluid-filled sphere that occurs, often in large numbers, in the cytoplasm of many eukaryotic cells. Vesicles may be variously associated with the uptake and discharge of materials in cells and also with their transport and storage.

vesicle

views updated May 29 2018

vesicle (ves-ikŭl) n.
1. a very small blister in the skin that contains serum. Vesicles occur in a variety of skin disorders, including eczema and herpes.

2. (in anatomy) any small bladder, especially one filled with fluid.
vesicular (ves-ik-yoo-ler) adj.