Vesicle
//ˈvɛsɪkəl// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A membrane-bound compartment found in a cell.
- 2 a small anatomically normal sac or bladderlike structure (especially one containing fluid) wordnet
- 3 A small bladder-like cell or cavity, as:; A small sac filled with juice, one of many constituting the pulp of a fruit such as an orange, lemon, or grapefruit.
- 4 A small bladder-like cell or cavity, as:; A small sac or cyst or vacuole, especially one containing fluid. A blister formed in or beneath the skin, containing serum. A bleb.
- 5 A small bladder-like cell or cavity, as:; A small sac or cyst or vacuole, especially one containing fluid. A blister formed in or beneath the skin, containing serum. A bleb.; (usually and especially) Such a blister that is less than 5 mm in diameter.
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- 6 A pocket of embryonic tissue that is the beginning of an organ.
- 7 A small cavity formed in volcanic rock by entrapment of a gas bubble during solidification.
"It frequently contains holes, or vesicles, especially nearer the surface of a flow where gas has escaped."
Example
More examples"The most likely path a protein will take after being created is as follows: after a protein is made in the RER, it is sent via a transition vesicle to the Golgi apparatus, where it is processed, and then sent to its final destination in a secretory vesicle."
Etymology
From Middle French vesicule, from Latin vēsīcula. By surface analysis, vesic- + -le. Doublet of vesicule.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.