Meanings
plural acini
- biologyOne of the small grains or drupelets which make up some kinds of fruit, as the blackberry, raspberry, etc.
- biologyA grape-stone.
- anatomyOne of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland, as the pancreas; also, one of the saccular recesses in the lobules of a racemose gland.
Their smallest lobules were called acini, a term which has also been used to denote the saccular recesses in the lobules […]
1828, Jones Quain, Quain's elements of anatomy
Origin
- Latinacinus“grape, grape-stone”
- Englishacinus
Unadapted borrowing from Latin acinus (“grape, grape-stone”); the histopathologic sense comes figuratively from the fancied resemblance (on microscopy) of acinic cells (acinar cells) to bunches of drupelets, berries, or grapes.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech lalůček
- lalůčekone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Indonesian asinus
- asinusone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Japanese 腺房
- 腺房 (senbō)one of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Lithuanian kėkė, acinusas
- kėkėone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
- acinusasone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Malay asinus
- asinusone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Romanian acin
- acinone of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Russian аци́нус, гроздь
- аци́нус (acínus)one of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
- гроздь (grozdʹ)one of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland (anatomy)
Cite this entry
acinus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acinus
“acinus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acinus. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acinus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acinus.
Source: acinus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.