nodule

[ noj-ool ]

noun

1. a small node, knot, or knob.
2. a small, rounded mass or lump.
3. Botany. a tubercle.

nodule

/ ˈnɒdjuːl /

noun

1. a small knot, lump, or node
2. Also calledroot nodule any of the knoblike outgrowths on the roots of clover and many other legumes: contain bacteria involved in nitrogen fixation
3. anatomy any small node or knoblike protuberance
4. a small rounded lump of rock or mineral substance, esp in a matrix of different rock material

nodule

/ nŏj′o̅o̅l /

1. A small, usually hard mass of tissue in the body.
2. A small, knoblike outgrowth found on the roots of many legumes, such as alfalfa, beans, and peas. Nodules grow after the roots have been infected with nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Rhizobium.
3. See more at legume
4. A small, rounded lump of a mineral or mixture of minerals that is distinct from and usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment. Nodules often form by replacement of a small part of the rocks in which they form.

Derived Forms

• ˈnodular, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nodule¹

1590–1600; < Latin nōdulus a little knot, equivalent to nōd ( us ) node + -ulus -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of nodule¹

C17: from Latin nōdulus, from nōdus knot

Example Sentences

There are competing theories of the chemical process by which this occurs, but the result is a concretion that grows at the pace of a few centimeters every million years to form a small rock known as a polymetallic nodule.

From Salon

“So, if you are a sessile organism sitting on a nodule, and we collect you, then that’s probably the end of life. But for the bacteria, you know, what our studies are proving is that actually there may be a net positive impact... a little bit like tilling the soil.”

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s already overwhelming evidence that strip mining deep-sea nodule fields will destroy ecosystems we barely understand,” he told BBC News.

From BBC

Five expert human annotators might provide five different segmentations, perhaps disagreeing on the existence or extent of the borders of a nodule in a lung CT image.

From Science Daily

The Metals Company says the research trip interrupted by Greenpeace in November was for science that aimed to help improve knowledge of the effect nodule collection will have.

From BBC

Related Words

• growth
• knot
• node