nodule
/ˈnɒdjuːl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɑːdʒuːl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnä-(ˌ)jül/ (ame, mw)
nodule — noun
- nodulesingular
- nodulesplural
1. a small lump that grows on or just under the skin or inside an organ, often roun
a small lump that grows on or just under the skin or inside an organ, often round and firm, sometimes a sign of illness
The doctor felt a small nodule on Hana's neck during the check-up.
nodule on + [body part]
Diego went for a scan after finding a hard nodule in his armpit.
After an ultrasound, Noa learned her thyroid nodule was harmless.
Yasmin's grandmother noticed a painful nodule near her elbow last month.
The nurse used a needle to take a sample from the nodule for testing.
文法句型
a nodule on/in [body part]
用法筆記
Often used by doctors and in medical reports rather than in everyday speech; ordinary speakers usually say 'lump' or 'bump' instead.
常見錯誤
2. a small round bump on the roots of plants such as beans and peas, which holds ti
a small round bump on the roots of plants such as beans and peas, which holds tiny living things that pull a useful gas from the air to feed the plant
Lakan pulled up a bean plant and showed the class its tiny root nodules.
nodules along/on roots
Farmers like Tyler plant clover because its nodules return nitrogen to the tired soil.
ecological role: nodules return nitrogen
Shanti rinsed a pea root and counted nine pale, bead-like nodules along it.
Ryan's wheat field stays green because clover nodules feed nitrogen into the soil.
- root nodule
the full technical term used in biology textbooks
文法句型
nodules on the roots of [plant]
用法筆記
Mostly used in biology, gardening, or farming contexts; learners are likely to meet it in science textbooks rather than conversation.
3. a small round piece of rock or mineral matter, harder than the stone or sand aro
a small round piece of rock or mineral matter, harder than the stone or sand around it, often found buried on the seabed or inside softer rock
Maeve picked up a dark nodule of iron from the beach near the old mine.
a nodule of + [mineral]
A Korean mining ship sent robots down to gather metal nodules from the seabed.
industry collocation: collect metal nodules
Geology students learn to split open a flint nodule with a small hammer.
Zayd's father keeps a strange chalk nodule that he found while digging the garden.
- concretion
geology term; emphasises that the lump formed from mineral build-up over time
- lump
everyday word; loses the rounded, embedded-in-rock sense
文法句型
a nodule of [mineral]
用法筆記
Common in geology and mining contexts (e.g. 'manganese nodule', 'flint nodule'); the mineral name almost always appears just before 'nodule'.