ˈyü.trə̇kəl, -rēk- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin utriculus small bag, diminutive of uter leather bag
: any of various small pouches or saccate parts of an animal or plant body: as
a.
(1) : an air cell of a fucoid seaweed
(2) : one of the bladders of a bladderwort
(3) : a saclike terminal branch of an alga of the genus Codium
b.
(1) : the part of the membranous labyrinth of the ear into which the semicircular canals open — compare saccule
(2) : utriculus b
c. : a small one-celled usually indehiscent one-seeded or few-seeded achene (as that of a goosefoot or amaranth) with thin membranous pericarp — see fruit illustration