rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycorpuscleSmall cell or particle
noun

corpuscle

KOR-puh-suhl/ˈkɔːrpʌsl/

A small cell or particle, especially in blood or tissue.

The enlarged view shows several red blood corpuscles.

A magnified view of three red blood cells within a short, open-ended segment of a tiny blood vessel, with one cell prominent enough to show its characteristic indented disc shape.
Etymology
corpusLatinbody
+cleLatinsmall

The pieces mean “little body.” Corpuscle first denoted any small particle, then came to describe a microscopic body in anatomy, including a blood cell.

More examples

  • The old text described a tiny corpuscle suspended in fluid.
  • The sample contained many small corpuscles.
  • She traced the outline of a corpuscle in the image.

Forms

corpuscle · corpuscles

Similar words

cell
Cell is the broader biological term; corpuscle is especially used for small blood cells.
particle
Particle can mean any tiny bit of matter; corpuscle often names a small bodily cell or structure.