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

Five bars covered in nodules roll with the motion of the foot.

From Popular-Science

In the most common version of deep-sea mining, huge excavation robots scour the seabed for polymetallic nodules, small potato-sized clusters of key minerals such as cobalt and nickel.

From Ozy

Each nodule contains at its core a small piece of shell or fossil, which is surrounded by minerals growing like crystals on its surface.

From Nautilus

The process is shockingly slow, with the average nodule estimated to grow at a rate of a few centimeters every million years, and the slowest at only a few millimeters in that time.

From Nautilus

Mining involves tractor-sized vacuums attached by tubes to a ship above that suck nodules to the surface.

From Nautilus

Doubtless, an eddy from this hole accounts for the deposit of snow and, by accretions, for the erection of the nodule.

From Project Gutenberg

There had been a little nodule in his brain as there was a little nodule in Oliver's throat.

From Project Gutenberg

The gland, which is seen as a nodule, is drawn forward with forceps.

From Project Gutenberg

The deep-seated variety starts from the superficial form, or it begins as a tubercle or nodule in the skin.

From Project Gutenberg

A nodule, more or less evident, is found near the border which is usually striate.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• growth
• knot
• node