ˈnäˌjül noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin nodulus small knot, diminutive of nodus knot, node — more at net
1. obsolete : a small quantity of medicinal material tied up in a bag or bit of cloth
2. : a small rounded mass of irregular shape : a little lump: as
a. : a small rounded lump of a mineral or mineral aggregate
a nodule of ironstone
b.
(1) : a plant bud or gemma
(2) : a thickening on the valve of a diatom
(3) : one of the swellings on the roots of a leguminous plant that contains symbiotic bacteria
c. : the nodulus of the cerebellum
d. : a small abnormal knobby protuberance (as of tumorous growth or of calcification near an arthritic joint)