ALVEOLUS (alveoli)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: alveoli   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does alveolus mean? 

• ALVEOLUS (noun)
  The noun ALVEOLUS has 2 senses:

1. a tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways

2. a bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth

  Familiarity information: ALVEOLUS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ALVEOLUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

air cell; air sac; alveolus

Hypernyms ("alveolus" is a kind of...):

sac (a structure resembling a bag in an animal)

Holonyms ("alveolus" is a part of...):

lung (either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood)

Derivation:

alveolate (pitted with cell-like cavities (as a honeycomb))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

alveolus; tooth socket

Hypernyms ("alveolus" is a kind of...):

socket (a bony hollow into which a structure fits)

Holonyms ("alveolus" is a part of...):

alveolar process; alveolar ridge; gum ridge (a ridge that forms the borders of the upper and lower jaws and contains the sockets of the teeth)

 Context examples 

Upon intratracheal administration, this agent, mimicking endogenous pulmonary surfactant, lines the alveoli and smallest bronchioles, keeping alveoli open during expiration by lowering surface tension.

(Calfactant, NCI Thesaurus)

In Goodpasture syndrome, autoantibodies bind to collagen in the basement membranes of alveoli and glomeruli.

(Collagen IV (Alpha 3), NCI Thesaurus)

Acute inflammation of the walls of the smaller bronchial tubes, with varying amounts of pulmonary consolidation due to spread of the inflammation into peribronchiolar alveoli and the alveolar ducts.

(Bronchopneumonia, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Washing out the bronchi and alveoli by flushing with a fluid.

(Bronchoalveolar Lavage, NCI Thesaurus)

To do this, they exposed human lung tissue to particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (10 μm), which is commonly emitted as a result of these fires and can reach the lung alveoli.

(Lung damage from agricultural fires probed, SciDev.Net)

"Organizing" refers to unresolved pneumonia (in which the alveolar exudate persists and eventually undergoes fibrosis) in which fibrous tissue forms in the alveoli.

(Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia, NCI Thesaurus)

The teeth collectively in the dental arch. Dentition ordinarily refers to the natural teeth in position in their alveoli.

(Dentition, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

It is caused by deficiency of surfactant, resulting in the formation of a membrane in the alveoli lining.

(Hyaline Membrane Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a hypersensitivity reaction resulting in the formation of antibodies against the pulmonary alveoli and the basement membrane of the glomeruli.

(Goodpasture Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

Cells are single-layered and maintain normal architecture of bronchioles and alveoli.

(Epithelial Hyperplasia of the Mouse Pulmonary System, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)