Alveolus (pl. alveoli, adj. alveolar) is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit.
Alveolus may refer to:
In anatomy and zoology in general
- Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs
- Alveolar gland
- Dental alveolus, also known as "tooth socket", a socket in the jaw that holds the roots of teeth
- Alveolar ridge, the jaw structure that contains the dental alveoli
- Alveolar canals
- arteries
- nerves
In Botany, Microbiology, and related disciplines alveoli may be:
- Surface cavities or pits, such as on the stem of Myrmecodia species
- Pits on honeycombed surfaces such as receptacles of many Angiosperms, for example, many Asteraceae and Dipsacus
- Pits on the fruiting bodies of fungi such as Boletus or the ascocarps, especially the perithecia, of fungi such as typical Ascomycetes
- Pits on the valves of the tests of many Diatoms
In medicine
In linguistics
- Alveolar consonant, a linguistic vocalization depending upon touching tongue to alveolar ridge
- Alveolar plosive
See also
- Acinus, considered by some (but not all) sources to be synonymous with Alveolus