alveolus

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A microscopic air-filled sac at the end of the finest divisions of the bronchioles through which gaseous exchange takes place. The wall of an alveolus is one cell thick and lined on the outside with capillaries. Millions of alveoli occur in each lung to provide a very large surface area.

(pl. alveoli)

any small pit, cavity, or saclike dilatation, such as an air cell of the lungs, an acinus of a compound gland, or a tooth socket.
—alveolar adj.

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Pl. alveoli.
1. a small cavity.
2. one of the thousands of tiny sacs borne on the terminal parts of the bronchial tree.
3. a tooth socket.
4. the dilated saclike part of the secretory unit of an alveolar gland such as a lactating mammary gland.
See also alveolar.

• mammary a. — because its epithelia produce milk the alveolus is the basic functioning unit of the lactating mammary gland.

(alvē′əlus)
n

1. an air sac of the lungs formed by terminal dilations of the bronchioles. n 2. the socket in the bone in which a tooth is attached by means of the periodontal ligament.

For a list of words related to alveolus, see:

• Mouth and Teeth - alveolus: socket within jawbone in which roots of teeth are set
• Respiratory System - alveolus: tiny, blind-ended cavity in lung that receives carbon dioxide from blood and gives back oxygen

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See words rhyming with "alveolus."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - lille hulrum

Nederlands (Dutch)
kleine holte, longblaasje, honingcel, tandkas

Français (French)
n. - alvéole

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Zahn)höhle, Lungenbläschen, Wachszelle

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φατνίο, κυψελίδα (πνευμόνων), κελί (κηρήθρας)

Italiano (Italian)
alveolo

idioms:

• pulmonary alveolus    alveolo polmonare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - alvéolo (m) (Bot.) (Geog.)

idioms:

• pulmonary alveolus    alvéolo (m) pulmonar (Anat.)

Русский (Russian)
клетка, ячейка, сота

idioms:

• pulmonary alveolus    легочные альвеолы

Español (Spanish)
n. - alvéolo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - tandhåla, cell

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
齿槽, 小孔, 肺泡

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 齒槽, 小孔, 肺泡

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 벌집 구멍, 폐포

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 小窩, 肺胞, 歯槽

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حجيرة الهوا في الرئه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חלל קטן, תא, תא של חלת-דבש, שקע השן‬

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