/ ˈvɪləs; NAmE / noun
( pl. villi / ˈvɪlaɪ; NAmE ; -liː/) ( biology ) any one of the many small thin parts shaped like fingers that stick out from some surfaces on the inside of the body (for example in the intestine ). Villi increase the area of these surfaces so that substances can be absorbed by the body more easily.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: from Latin , literally shaggy hair .