nod·ule (n j l)n.1. A small knotlike protuberance. 2. Anatomy A small mass of tissue or aggregation of cells. 3. Botany A small knoblike outgrowth, as those found on the roots of many leguminous plants. 4. Mineralogy A small rounded lump of a mineral or mixture of minerals, usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment.
[Middle English, from Latin n dulus, diminutive of n dus, knot; see ned- in Indo-European roots.]
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nodule Noun
1. a small rounded lump, knot, or node
2. a rounded mineral growth on the root of a plant such as clover [Latin nodulus]
nodular adj
nodule (n j l)1. A small, usually hard mass of tissue in the body. 2. A small, knoblike outgrowth found on the roots of many legumes, such as alfalfa, beans, and peas. Nodules grow after the roots have been infected with nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Rhizobium. See more at legume. 3. A small, rounded lump of a mineral or mixture of minerals that is distinct from and usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment. Nodules often form by replacement of a small part of the rocks in which they form. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | nodule - a small nodenode - any bulge or swelling of an anatomical structure or part |
| 2. | nodule - small rounded wartlike protuberance on a plant |
| 3. | nodule - (mineralogy) a small rounded lump of mineral substance (usually harder than the surrounding rock or sediment)mineralogy - the branch of geology that studies minerals: their structure and properties and the ways of distinguishing them geode - (mineralogy) a hollow rock or nodule with the cavity usually lined with crystals hunk, lump - a large piece of something without definite shape; "a hunk of bread"; "a lump of coal" |