nodule

UK: /ˈnɒdjuːl/ US: /ˈnɑdʒul/ ,(noj′o̅o̅l)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

nod•ule /ˈnɑdʒul/   n. [countable]

1. a small node.

nod•u•lar, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

nod•ule  (noj′o̅o̅l), n. 

1. a small node, knot, or knob.
2. Pathology, Anatomy a small, rounded mass or lump.
3. Botany a tubercle.

• Latin nōdulus a little knot, equivalent. to nōd(us) node + -ulus -ule
• 1590–1600

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

nodule / ˈnɒdjuːl/ noun

1. a small knot, lump, or node
2. Also called: root nodule any of the knoblike outgrowths on the roots of clover and many other legumes: contain bacteria involved in nitrogen fixation
3. any small node or knoblike protuberance
4. a small rounded lump of rock or mineral substance, esp in a matrix of different rock material

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin nōdulus, from nōdus knot

ˈnodular, ˈnodulose, ˈnodulous adjective