Skip Navigation
Genetics Home Reference: your guide to understanding genetic conditions About   Site Map   Contact Us
 
Home A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine®
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y-Z

Alveoli

Synonym(s)

  • alveolus

Definition(s)

Tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles in the lungs.

Definition from:  National Cancer Institute dictionaryThis link leads to a site outside Genetics Home Reference.

A small cavity or pit: as a) a socket in the jaw for a tooth; b) any of the small thin-walled air-containing compartments of the lung that are typically arranged in saclike clusters into which an alveolar duct terminates and from which respiratory gases are exchanged with the pulmonary capillaries; c) an acinus of a compound gland; d) any of the pits in the wall of the stomach into which the glands open.

Definition from: Merriam-Webster's Medical DictionaryThis link leads to a site outside Genetics Home Reference. by Merriam-Webster Inc.

See also Understanding Medical Terminology.

 
Published: February 25, 2013