What does glomerulus mean?
A glomerulus is a small, rounded tuft of capillaries, most commonly the filtering structure in a kidney. Blood enters each renal glomerulus through an arteriole, passes through a delicate mesh of capillaries, and is filtered under pressure as urine begins to form. The filtered fluid enters a surrounding capsule, while blood cells and most large proteins remain in circulation. The word also has specialized neurological uses: in the olfactory bulb, a glomerulus is a compact region where axons from many odor-sensitive neurons converge. In general anatomical description, the term suggests a clustered, ball-like arrangement of structures. Glomerulus is chiefly a scientific word, especially associated with renal physiology, and is usually encountered in medical, biological, or academic contexts. Its plural, glomeruli, is much more familiar than the singular to many readers.
nounA small, rounded tuft or cluster of capillaries, especially the capillary tuft in a kidney where blood is filtered. The term can also refer to other compact clusters of neural or vascular structures, such as those in the olfactory bulb.
- A tuft of capillaries in a kidney, where blood is filtered under pressure to form the initial urine.
- A compact, rounded cluster of neural or other structures, especially a structure in the olfactory bulb where many sensory axons converge.
"The glomerulus filters blood plasma as blood passes through the kidney’s capillary network."
"Each kidney contains millions of glomeruli, whose capillary tufts perform the first major filtering step in urine production."
"In the olfactory bulb, a glomerulus is the convergence site for axons from many olfactory receptor neurons."
This is the standard plural form, especially in medical and biological writing.
"The glomeruli of both kidneys were examined during the biopsy."
A kidney glomerulus is a living microscopic filter: a compact bundle of capillaries that helps decide what remains in the blood.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of glomerulus
The word comes from Latin glomerulus, a diminutive formed from glomus, meaning a ball, mass, or compact collection. The diminutive suffix -culus conveys the sense of a small mass or tuft. English inherited the term through Latin scientific usage, and related forms such as conglomerate, glomerate, and agglomerate reflect the same underlying idea of gathering into a compact mass.
Related word forms
How glomerulus is actually used
Glomerulus is a formal, primarily technical term used in anatomy, medicine, and neuroscience. Its standard plural is glomeruli.