alveolus

Definition of Alveolus in English :

1. air cell, air sac, alveolus

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

2. alveolus, tooth socket

a bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Alveolus

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

1.

any small pit, cavity, or saclike dilation, such as a honeycomb cell

2.

any of the sockets in which the roots of the teeth are embedded

3.

any of the tiny air sacs in the lungs at the end of the bronchioles, through which oxygen is taken into the blood

nounWord forms: plural alˈveoˌli (ælˈviəˌlaɪ ; alvēˈəlīˌ; ælˈviəˌli ; alvēˈəlēˌ)

1. Anatomy and Zoology

a small cavity or hollow, as a cell of a honeycomb, air cell of a lung, tooth socket, etc.

2. [usually pl.]

the alveolar ridge; teethridge

n. pl. al·ve·o·li (-lī′)

1. A small angular cavity or pit, such as a honeycomb cell.

2. A tooth socket in the jawbone.

3. A tiny, thin-walled, capillary-rich sac in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. Also called air sac.