glomerulus

[ gloh-mer-yuh-luh s, gluh- ]
/ gloʊˈmɛr yə ləs, glə- /

noun, plural glo·mer·u·li [gloh-mer-yuh-lahy, gluh-] /gloʊˈmɛr yəˌlaɪ, glə-/. Anatomy.

a compact cluster of capillaries.
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 of glomerulus

1855–60; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin glomer- (stem of glomus) ball-shaped mass + -ulus -ule

OTHER WORDS FROM glomerulus

glo·mer·u·lar, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for glomerulus

British Dictionary definitions for glomerulus

glomerulus
/ (ɡlɒˈmɛrʊləs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

a knot of blood vessels in the kidney projecting into the capsular end of a urine-secreting tubule
any cluster or coil of blood vessels, nerve fibres, etc, in the body

Derived forms of glomerulus

glomerular, adjective

Word Origin for glomerulus

C18: from New Latin, diminutive of glomus ball

Medical definitions for glomerulus

glomerulus
[ glō-mĕryə-ləs ]

n. pl. glo•mer•u•li (-lī′)

A small cluster or intertwined mass.
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.
The twisted secretory portion of a sweat gland.
A nerve ending consisting of a cluster of dendritic ramifications and axon terminals surrounded by a glial sheath.

Scientific definitions for glomerulus

glomerulus
[ glō-mĕryə-ləs ]

Plural glomeruli (glō-mĕryə-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.