tubercle

UK: /ˈtjuːbək^əl/

US: /ˈtubɚkəl, ˈtju-/

US: (to̅o̅′bər kəl, tyo̅o̅′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

tu•ber•cle /ˈtubɚkəl, ˈtyu-/   n. [countable]

1. a small rounded part sticking out or growing out from a surface, as on a bone or the body.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tu•ber•cle  (to̅o̅′bər kəl, tyo̅o̅′-), n. 

1. a small rounded projection or excrescence, as on a bone or on the surface of the body.
2. Pathology
   • a small, firm, rounded nodule or swelling.
   • such a swelling as the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis.
3. Botany a tuberlike swelling or nodule.

• Latin tūberculum. See tuber¹, -cle¹
• 1570–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tubercle / ˈtjuːbək^əl/, tuberculum / tjʊˈbɜːkjʊləm/ noun

1. any small rounded nodule or elevation, esp on the skin, on a bone, or on a plant
2. any small rounded pathological lesion of the tissues, esp one characteristic of tuberculosis

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin tūberculum a little swelling, diminutive of tuber