Library / English Dictionary

CORPUSCLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Either of two types of cells (erythrocytes and leukocytes) and sometimes including platelets

Synonyms:

blood cell; blood corpuscle; corpuscle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("corpuscle" is a kind of...):

somatic cell; vegetative cell (any of the cells of a plant or animal except the reproductive cells; a cell that does not participate in the production of gametes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "corpuscle"):

leucocyte; leukocyte; WBC; white blood cell; white blood corpuscle; white cell; white corpuscle (blood cells that engulf and digest bacteria and fungi; an important part of the body's defense system)

packed cells (a preparation of blood cells separated from the liquid plasma)

erythrocyte; RBC; red blood cell (a mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues; a biconcave disc that has no nucleus)

Holonyms ("corpuscle" is a part of...):

blood (the fluid (red in vertebrates) that is pumped through the body by the heart and contains plasma, blood cells, and platelets)

Derivation:

corpuscular (of or relating to corpuscles)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

Synonyms:

atom; corpuscle; molecule; mote; particle; speck

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("corpuscle" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "corpuscle"):

grain (a relatively small granular particle of a substance)

grinding (material resulting from the process of grinding)

chylomicron (a microscopic particle of triglycerides produced in the intestines during digestion; in the bloodstream they release their fatty acids into the blood)

flyspeck (a tiny dark speck made by the excrement of a fly)

identification particle (a tiny particle of material that can be added to a product to indicate the source of manufacture)

Credits

 Context examples: 

SYN blood corpuscle.

(Murine Blood Cells, NCI Thesaurus)