vesicle

[ ves-i-kuhl ]

noun

1. a small sac or cyst.
2. Biology. a small bladderlike cavity, especially one filled with fluid.
3. Pathology. a circumscribed elevation of the epidermis containing serous fluid; blister.
4. Geology. a small, usually spherical cavity in a rock or mineral, formed by expansion of a gas or vapor before the enclosing body solidified.

vesicle

/ vɛˈsɪkjʊlə; ˈvɛsɪkəl /

noun

1. pathol
   1. any small sac or cavity, esp one containing serous fluid
   2. a blister
2. geology a rounded cavity within a rock formed during solidification by expansion of the gases present in the magma
3. botany a small bladder-like cavity occurring in certain seaweeds and aquatic plants
4. any small cavity or cell

vesicle

/ vĕs′ĭ-kəl /

1. A small fluid-filled sac in the body.
2. A membrane-bound sac in eukaryotic cells that stores or transports the products of metabolism in the cell and is sometimes the site for the breaking down of metabolic wastes. Vesicles bulge out and break off from the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Vesicles get their energy for mobility from ATP. Lysosomes and peroxisomes are vesicles.
3. A small cavity formed in volcanic rock by entrapment of a gas bubble during solidification.

Derived Forms

• veˈsicularly, adverb
• vesicular, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vesicle¹

First recorded in 1570–80, vesicle is from the Latin word vēsīcula little bladder. See vesica, -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of vesicle¹

C16: from Latin vēsīcula, diminutive of vesica

Example Sentences

The findings speak to the value of using universal adult donor cells to create these extracellular vesicle therapies, the researchers said, because they don't carry the risk of generating an immune response.

From Science Daily

To unravel this mechanism, they created a computer model of a vesicle containing active cytoskeletal components used for movement.

From Science Daily

"That is quite astonishing, as GTPase-dependent vesicle formation was previously thought to be only carried out within eukaryotic cells, between the membrane-bound intracellular compartments. Our finding suggests that components of eukaryotic intracellular vesicle trafficking could have evolved much earlier in evolutionary history than previously assumed."

From Science Daily

"Here we show that EVs in salt-loving archaea can transport an RNA cargo and thus help cells communicate with each other. Also, we reveal exciting new insights into the evolutionary development of this communication strategy. Our study provides the basis for further studies into the evolutionary relationships between prokaryotic and eukaryotic vesicle formation and might help solving the puzzle of the evolution of the eukaryotic cell."

From Science Daily

They then used fluorescent dyes to inspect the mixtures and judge if vesicle formation had taken place.

From Science Daily