Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of the minute hairlike structures projecting from the surface of certain cells, such as those lining the small intestine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of many fingerlike extensions on the surfaces of many cells, consisting of the proteins actin, fimbrin, and villin.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From micro- +‎ villus.

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Examples

  • Yesterday, an inquest into her death heard that she had been born with a life-threatening illness called microvillus inclusion disease, which affects only one person in 1,000.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2009

  • Yesterday, an inquest into her death heard that she had been born with a life-threatening illness called microvillus inclusion disease, which affects only one person in 1,000.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2009

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