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View synonyms for vacuole

vacuole

[ vak-yoo-ohl ]

noun

, Biology.
  1. a membrane-bound cavity within a cell, often containing a watery liquid or secretion.
  2. a minute cavity or vesicle in organic tissue.


vacuole

/ ˈvækjʊˌəʊl; ˌvækjʊəˈleɪʃən; -ˌleɪt; ˈvækjʊəlɪt /

noun

  1. biology a fluid-filled cavity in the cytoplasm of a cell
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


vacuole

/ văkyo̅o̅-ōl′ /

  1. A cavity within the cytoplasm of a cell, surrounded by a single membrane and containing fluid, food, or metabolic waste. Vacuoles are found in the cells of plants, protists, and some primitive animals. In mature plant cells, there is usually one large vacuole which occupies a large part of the cell's volume and is filled with a liquid called cell sap. The cell sap stores food reserves, pigments, defensive toxins, and waste products to be expelled or broken down. In the cells of protists, however, there may be many small specialized vacuoles, such as digestive vacuoles for the absorption of captured food and contractile vacuoles for the expulsion of excess water or wastes.
  2. See more at cell


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Derived Forms

  • ˌvacuˈolar, adjective
  • vacuolation, noun
  • vacuolate, adjective
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Other Words From

  • vac·u·o·lar [vak-yoo-, oh, -ler, vak, -yoo-, uh, -, vak, -y, uh, -ler], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of vacuole1

From French, dating back to 1850–55; vacuum, -ole 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of vacuole1

C19: from French, literally: little vacuum, from Latin vacuum
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Example Sentences

The plant's garbage collectors collect waste from cells and transport it to a kind of recycling station in the plant called a vacuole.

The detachment of the protrusion from the cell membrane results in the formation of a vacuole within the neighboring cell.

The pathogen inside this vacuole then breaks free by utilizing its T6SS to disrupt the surrounding cell membrane.

This specific gene is coded for a form of rhodopsin that would be inserted into the cell's vacuole, a part of the cell that, like mitochondria, can turn chemical gradients made by proteins like rhodopsin into energy.

A vacuole is a structure reserved for storage and digestion within a cell.

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vacuolationvacuous