Meaning & use
villous
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparablemedical
Covered with villi, which are tiny finger-like projections, as on the lining of the small intestine.
Grammar: Used before a noun: villous surface.
Patterns
- a villous surface
The villous lining of the intestine absorbs nutrients.
A villous surface greatly increases the area available for absorption.
The biopsy showed villous tissue.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
In botany, covered with long soft hairs, giving a shaggy look.
Grammar: Often applied to leaves and stems.
The plant has villous leaves that feel like felt.
A villous stem helps it hold moisture.
The botanist described the flower as villous.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Describing a tumor or growth that has finger-like projections, such as a villous adenoma.
Grammar: Used in diagnosis, usually with a noun like adenoma.
Patterns
- villous adenoma
The doctor removed a villous polyp from the colon.
A villous adenoma can grow slowly for years.
Common combinations
- villous atrophy
- Villous atrophy is a sign of coeliac disease.
- villous surface
- The villous surface absorbs food.
- villous adenoma
- A villous adenoma was found during the exam.
- villous lining
- The villous lining of the gut was examined.
- villous tissue
- Villous tissue forms part of the placenta.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shaggy
- This is an everyday word for rough long hair, while villous is technical and used for tiny structures or soft hairs.
- hairy
- This is informal and general, while villous is specific to fine, soft hairs in science.
- fuzzy
- This describes a soft, blurry covering of short fibers and is informal, unlike the scientific villous.
Opposites
Word family
- villus noun
- a tiny finger-like projection in the body
- villi noun
- plural of villus
- villose adjective
- a variant of villous, covered with soft hairs
- microvilli noun
- even smaller projections on cell surfaces
Commonly confused: villous or villainous?
villous vs villainous
Villainous means wicked, like a villain, and is unrelated to villous, which means covered with tiny projections or hairs.
Practice
A biologist would call the intestinal lining ___ because it is covered in tiny finger-like projections.
Choose one answer.
Villous means covered with villi, the finger-like projections. Viscous means thick and sticky, villainous means wicked, and velvety is only a casual description.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “villous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.