tubercle
|tub-er-cle|
🇺🇸
/ˈtʌbɚkəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈtʌbək(ə)l/
small rounded lump / protuberance
Etymology
'tubercle' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'tuberculum', a diminutive of 'tuber' meaning 'swelling' or 'lump'.
'tuberculum' passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin and was borrowed into Middle English (via French influence) as forms like 'tubercle', eventually becoming the modern English 'tubercle'.
Initially it meant 'little swelling' or 'small lump'; over time this core sense remained and developed into specialized anatomical and pathological meanings such as 'bony prominence' and 'nodular lesion'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small, rounded prominence or protuberance on a bone, often serving as an attachment point for muscles or ligaments (anatomy).
The greater tubercle of the humerus serves as the attachment for several rotator cuff muscles.
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Noun 2
a small nodular lesion or rounded mass of tissue, especially one associated with tuberculosis or other infectious granulomatous disease (pathology).
A tubercle formed in the lung tissue as a response to the infection.
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Noun 3
a small wart-like projection or bump on the surface of a plant or animal (botany/zoology).
Each tubercle on the seed coat helps the seed adhere to soil particles.
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Last updated: 2025/11/26 16:53