Globule

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡlɒbjuːl/

Definitions

1. A small, spherical or rounded mass of liquid or solid substance
2. A tiny, rounded droplet or particle of liquid or solid matter is often formed in clusters or dispersed throughout a medium
3. It refers to a small, spherical body of matter, either liquid or solid, typically suspended or floating in another substance

Etymology: "Globule" entered English from French "globule," which in turn comes from Latin "globulus," a diminutive of "globus," meaning a ball, sphere, or round mass. The Latin ending "-ulus" is the familiar diminutive suffix, so the word's core idea is simply "little globe." The same Latin root gave English "globe" itself, which arrived earlier and kept the larger sense. The pairing is a neat illustration of how a single root can split into a big and a small version of the same shape. "Globe" describes the whole sphere, while "globule" shrinks the image to a droplet or tiny bead, which is why it is used so readily for drops of liquid and small particles.

Synonyms: droplet, sphere, particle