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 T-vant adjuvant is derived from bacterial outer membrane vesicles, tiny particles that naturally stimulate the immune system.

From Science Daily

Through multi-stage preparation, which included centrifugation of the blood samples, the researchers were able to capture the proteins contained in vesicles.

From Science Daily

Rome assigned her the task of comparing the vesicles entering lysosomes with the ones exiting.

From Science Magazine

The remarkably precise method allows researchers to peer into nanometer-sized membrane sacs, called extracellular vesicles or EVs, that can carry different types of cargos, like proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites, in the bloodstream.

From Science Daily

When our cells communicate, they send out small membrane bubbles known as extracellular vesicles which contain various signalling molecules.

From Science Daily