Tubulate

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the form or structure of a tube, typically cylindrical and hollow
2. Formed or shaped in the manner of a tube with a hollow interior
3. Resembling a tube in structure, with a cylindrical hollow body

Etymology: "Tubulate" is a technical adjective-forming chain built on a Latin model: it comes from "tubulatus," meaning shaped like a small tube or pipe. The Latin itself is a diminutive built on "tubus," tube, so the word's core idea is simply a tube, with the added "-ate" marking the shape as having been given that form. Its close relative "tubular" follows the same path, and the two share the same Latin base. Where "tubular" describes something that is literally tube-shaped, "tubulate" carries the more specialized sense of being formed into or fitted with tubes, a distinction that keeps the two words in use in scientific and technical writing rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: tubular, cylindrical, tubelike