Vacuole (Noun)
Meaning
A tiny cavity filled with fluid in the cytoplasm of a cell.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- Plant cells typically contain large vacuoles that can occupy up to 90% of the cell's volume.
- A vacuole is essentially a tiny compartment that is bound by a membrane and filled with a watery liquid called the vacuolar sap.
- In a typical plant cell, there is one large central vacuole surrounded by cytoplasm.
- Autophagy occurs when the cell uses vacuoles to break down and recycle damaged organelles.
- Some protozoa, like Amoeba proteus, use food vacuoles to capture and digest food particles.