View source for Biology:Alveolus

'''Alveolus''' ({{IPAc-en|ae|l|'|v|i:|@|l|@|s}}; pl. '''alveoli''', adj. '''alveolar''') is a general anatomical term for a concave cavity or pit.
==Uses in anatomy and zoology==
* Pulmonary alveolus, an air sac in the lungs
** Alveolar cell or pneumocyte
** Alveolar duct
** [[Biology:Alveolar macrophage|Alveolar macrophage]]
* Mammary alveolus, a milk sac in the mammary glands
* Alveolar gland
* Dental alveolus, also known as "tooth socket", a socket in the jaw that holds the roots of teeth
** [[Medicine:Alveolar ridge|Alveolar ridge]], the jaw structure that contains the dental alveoli
** Alveolar canals
** Alveolar process
* Arteries:
** Superior alveolar artery (disambiguation)
*** Anterior superior alveolar arteries
*** Posterior superior alveolar artery
** Inferior alveolar artery
* Nerves:
** Anterior superior alveolar nerve
** Middle superior alveolar nerve
** Inferior alveolar nerve

==Uses in botany, microbiology and related disciplines==
* Surface cavities or pits, such as on the stem of [[Biology:Myrmecodia|Myrmecodia]] species
* Pits on honeycombed surfaces such as [[Biology:Receptacle (botany)|receptacles]] of many [[Biology:Angiosperm|angiosperm]]s
* Pits on the fruiting bodies of [[Biology:Fungi|fungi]] such as ''Boletus'' or the ascocarps of fungi such as typical ascomycetes
* Pits on the valves of the tests of many [[Biology:Diatom|diatom]]s
* Membrane supporting vesicles of the [[Biology:Alveolate|alveolate]]s

==Uses in linguistics==
* Alveolar consonant, a linguistic vocalization depending upon touching tongue to alveolar ridge
* Alveolar stop

==See also==
* [[Medicine:Alveolar soft part sarcoma|Alveolar soft part sarcoma]], a very rare type of soft-tissue sarcoma,
* [[Biology:Acinus|Acinus]], considered by some (but not all) sources to be synonymous with Alveolus

[[Category:Human anatomy]]
[[Category:Animal anatomy]]

{{Sourceattribution|Alveolus}}