Tubule
/ˈtjuːbjuːl/noun
A very small tube or tube-like structure.
Did you know?Tubule comes from Latin *tubulus*, a diminutive of *tuba* (“pipe, trumpet”), so its deepest ancestor is the same word family behind the trumpet’s blast.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teuH-
“to swell, be strong; source of the Latin pipe/trumpet family”
Latin
Latin
tuba
“a trumpet, pipe, or horn”
Latin
Latin
tubulus
“a small pipe or tube”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
tubulus
“a small tube or duct”
16th Century
English
tubule
“a tiny tube or duct”