tubercle

(too′bĕr-kĕl )

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[L. tuberculum, a little swelling]

1. A small rounded elevation or eminence on a bone.
2. A small nodule, esp. a circumscribed solid elevation of the skin or mucous membrane.
3. The characteristic lesion resulting from infection by tubercle bacilli. It consists typically of three parts: a central giant cell, a midzone of epithelioid cells, and a peripheral zone of nonspecific structure.
SEE: tuberculosis

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