Meaning & use
vesicular
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablebiologymedical
Having or made of small fluid-filled sacs or bubbles, known as vesicles.
Grammar: Used in biology and medicine before a noun: a vesicular rash.
Patterns
- vesicular rash
- vesicular structure
Chickenpox produces a vesicular rash made of tiny blisters.
The cell transports proteins in vesicular packages.
Doctors noted a vesicular eruption on the patient's hand.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Full of tiny gas holes, as in volcanic rock such as pumice.
Grammar: A geological use: vesicular basalt.
Patterns
- vesicular rock
- vesicular texture
Pumice is vesicular because gas bubbles were trapped as it cooled.
The geologist described the rock as vesicular basalt.
A vesicular texture shows where the lava once boiled with gas.
adjectivenot comparablemedical
Of the sound of normal breathing heard through the lungs.
Grammar: Used in medicine: vesicular breath sounds.
Patterns
- vesicular breath sounds
The nurse listened for vesicular breath sounds through the stethoscope.
Normal vesicular sounds were heard in both lungs.
Reduced vesicular breathing may suggest a blocked airway.
Common combinations
- vesicular rash
- The child had a vesicular rash on her arms.
- vesicular transport
- Vesicular transport moves materials inside cells.
- vesicular basalt
- Vesicular basalt is light and full of holes.
- vesicular texture
- The rock's vesicular texture is clear under a lens.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blistery
- Blistery is an everyday and informal word for skin that has blisters, while vesicular is a clinical term.
- bubbly
- Bubbly is informal and says full of bubbles, whereas vesicular is a technical adjective.
- porous
- Porous means letting liquid pass through holes, but a vesicular rock has holes that may be sealed.
Opposites
Word family
- vesicle noun
- a small fluid-filled sac or cavity
- vesiculation noun
- the formation of vesicles
- vesiculate verb
- to form into vesicles
- vesicle-bearing adjective
- containing small sacs
Commonly confused: vesicular or vascular?
vesicular vs vascular
Vascular relates to vessels carrying fluid such as blood, while vesicular relates to small sacs or bubbles.
Practice
Which word best describes pumice, a light rock filled with tiny gas holes?
Choose one answer.
Vesicular describes material with small gas-filled cavities. Vascular concerns vessels, vertical means upright and vestigial means a remnant.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vesicular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.