brush border

noun

, Anatomy.

1. a dense array of microvilli projecting from the surface of certain epithelial tissues, as the lining of the intestinal tract.

brush border

noun

1. physiol a layer of tightly packed minute finger-like protuberances on cells that line absorptive surfaces, such as those of the intestine and kidney See also microvillus

Word History and Origins

Origin of brush border¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

In large swaths of the nearby brush, Border Patrol agents are some of the only visible symbols of the law, and in the urban heart of Laredo and other cities, President Trump’s focus on border enforcement has given them expanded political clout.

From New York Times

Not all the cells of the intestine are epithelial, but when the epithelial cells are dissociated, they can be distinguished from the other cell types by their large content of yolk, by the ease with which they dissociate in a medium that contains Versene and sometimes by their retention of the brush border.

From Scientific American

Intestine epithelium cells have a "brush border," a structure that is present only in cells specialized for absorption and that is assumed to have arisen as a result of the activity of certain intestine-cell genes.

From Scientific American