alveolus
UK[alˈviːələs]US[ælˈviːələs]
n
a small cavity, pit, or hollow, especially any of the many tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs.
n
the socket in the jawbone in which the root of a tooth is set.
Morpheme Breakdown
alveol
us
alveol
cavity
us
noun suffix
Etymology
the word alveolus is a direct latin loanword, entering english in the late 17th century to describe anatomical hollows. it originates from the latin alveolus, meaning "a small hollow or cavity," which is itself a diminutive of alveus (a hollow, trough, or belly). this root, alveus, is thought to derive from the proto-indo-european root h₂el-, meaning "to grow, nourish," which also connects to concepts of depth and hollowing out. the semantic journey thus flows from the general idea of a nourishing hollow (like a trough or belly) to the specific, tiny anatomical cavities in the lungs and jaw, perfectly capturing their form and function.
Analysis
Structure: alveol (cavity) + us (noun suffix)
alveol is from latin alveolus, a diminutive of alveus meaning "a hollow, cavity, trough, or belly." the suffix -us is a latin masculine noun ending.
Examples
oxygen passes from the alveolus into the bloodstream.
the dentist examined the empty alveolus after the tooth extraction.
each lung contains millions of alveoli, which greatly increase the surface area for respiration.