tubercle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small rounded projection on a bone, tooth, animal surface, or other anatomical structure

   The breeding male developed a prominent tubercle at the shoulder of the wing.

2. 2
   noun

   botany: a small rounded, wartlike outgrowth on a plant

   Each root tubercle contained bacteria that helped the plant obtain nitrogen.

3. 3
   noun

   pathology: a small nodular lesion, especially one characteristic of tuberculosis

   The scan revealed a calcified tubercle left by an old infection.

From Latin tuberculum, 'small swelling or lump,' the diminutive of tuber, 'swelling.' Anatomy, botany, and pathology each adopted the term for a small rounded projection or nodule.

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