lacteal

/'læktiəl/

Thân thiện

The diagram shows a lacteal vessel in a villus of the small intestine.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to or consisting of milk: Describes something that is connected to, made of, or resembles milk.
   • Producing milk: Pertaining to organs or vessels that produce or convey a milky fluid.

2. Noun:

   • A lymphatic vessel in the small intestine: Specifically refers to one of the tiny vessels in the villi of the small intestine that absorb dietary fats in the form of chyle, a milky fluid, and transport it to the lymphatic system.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The lacteal secretion is essential for newborn mammals. (The milky secretion is essential for newborn mammals.)
  • Under the microscope, the fluid had a lacteal appearance. (Under the microscope, the fluid had a milky appearance.)

• Noun:

  • Fats are absorbed into the bloodstream via the lacteals in the intestinal wall. (Fats are absorbed into the bloodstream via the lymphatic vessels in the intestinal wall.)
  • The lacteal is a crucial part of the lymphatic system associated with digestion. (The lymphatic vessel is a crucial part of the lymphatic system associated with digestion.)

Advanced Usage

• In a biological context: The term is highly specialized and primarily used in anatomy, physiology, and medicine to describe structures and processes related to the absorption of fats.
  • The pathologist noted the dilation of the lacteals in the biopsy sample. (The pathologist noted the enlargement of the fat-absorbing lymphatic vessels in the biopsy sample.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lactate (verb): To secrete milk.
  • Mammals lactate to feed their young.
• Lactation (noun): The process of producing and secreting milk.
  • Lactation is stimulated by specific hormones.
• Lactic (adjective): Relating to or derived from milk, especially in the context of acid.
  • Lactic acid is produced in muscles during intense exercise.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Milky, lacteous.
• Noun: Intestinal lymphatic vessel, chyliferous vessel.

Notes on Meaning

• The adjective form generally describes a quality (milky) or a function (milk-producing/conveying).
• The noun form is a highly specific anatomical term. In common language, the adjective is more likely to be encountered than the noun.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. relating to or consisting of or producing or resembling milk
   • lacteal fluids
   • lacteal organs

Noun

1. any of the lymphatic vessels that convey chyle from the small intestine to the thoracic duct