Globule
/ˈɡlɒb.juːl/noun
A very small round particle or drop.
Did you know?Globule entered English through French and ultimately traces back to Latin *globus*, the same root behind *globe*—so even a microscopic droplet carries the ancient idea of a perfect sphere.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
globule
“a very small round particle or drop”
16th Century
French
globule
“a small sphere or rounded mass”
Late Latin
Latin
globulus
“a little ball or small sphere”
Classical Latin
Latin
globus
“a round mass, sphere, or cluster”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰlebʰ-
“to swell, bulge, or be rounded”
Explore more surprising origins