Meanings
nounglomerulus (plural glomeruli)
plural glomeruli
- anatomyA small intertwined group of capillaries within nephrons of the kidney that filter the blood to make urine
- anatomyA structure in the olfactory bulb central to olfactory sensory transduction, composed of receptor neuron axons and mitral neuron dendrites and organized by odor type.
- Any of several other similar intertwined masses of things
Origin
From the diminutive of the Latin glomus (gen. glomeris) meaning "ball of yarn" or "ball-shaped mass".
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 腎小球 /肾小球
- 腎小球 /肾小球 (shènxiǎoqiú)small intertwined group of capillaries
Finnish hiussuonikeränen
- hiussuonikeränensmall intertwined group of capillaries
German Nierenkörperchen
- Nierenkörperchensmall intertwined group of capillaries
Indonesian glomerulus
- glomerulussmall intertwined group of capillaries
Italian glomerulo
- glomerulosmall intertwined group of capillaries
Japanese 糸球体
- 糸球体 (shikyūtai)small intertwined group of capillaries
Persian کلافک
- کلافک (kalâfak)small intertwined group of capillaries
Spanish glomérulo
- glomérulosmall intertwined group of capillaries
Cite this entry
APA
glomerulus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glomerulus
MLA
“glomerulus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glomerulus. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “glomerulus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glomerulus.
Source: glomerulus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.