tubercle meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

tubercle

noun

UK /ˈt(j)uː.bə.kəl/ · CA, US /ˈt(j)u.bəɹ.kəl/

Etymology Derived from Latin tūberculum. Compare tuber.

Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences A round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth, especially those found on bones for the attachment of a muscle or ligament or small elevations on the surface of a tooth.

the iliac tubercles
The four long white plumes which give the bird its altogether unique character, spring from little tubercles close to the upper edge of the shoulder or bend of the wing; they are narrow, gently curved, and equally webbed on both sides, of a pure creamy white colour.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 41:

Biology, Botany, Natural sciences A small rounded wartlike protuberance of the roots of some leguminous plants; the lip of certain orchids, cacti.

Medicine, Pathology, Sciences A small rounded nodule forming the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis.

Synonyms: tuberosity, eminence, nodule
Derived terms: basal tubercle, butchers' tubercle, Darwin's tubercle, genital tubercle, intertubercle, Javan tubercle snake, microtubercle, Montgomery's tubercle, olive tubercle, pubic tubercle, trituberculy, tubercled, tuberclelike, tuberculoid, tuberculosis