glomerulus

glomerulus definition - medical

glo·mer·u·lus (glō-mĕrˈyə-ləs)

noun pl. glo·mer·u·li (-līˌ)
  1. A small cluster or intertwined mass.
  2. A tuft of capillaries situated within a Bowman's capsule at the end of a renal tubule in the vertebrate kidney that filters waste products from the blood and thus initiates urine formation.
  3. The twisted secretory portion of a sweat gland.
  4. A nerve ending consisting of a cluster of dendritic ramifications and axon terminals surrounded by a glial sheath.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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