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Glite Dictionary
malpighian body

malpighian body

9.9
A small part of the kidney at the start of a tiny tube that filters blood
  • noun
  • /mælˈpɪɡiən ˈbɑdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cuerpo malpighiano
  • Each nephron begins with a malpighian body that filters waste from the blood.

Examples

  • The malpighian body is crucial for the filtration of blood in the nephron.

  • Each malpighian body plays a vital role in kidney function.

  • Damage to the malpighian body can impair proper kidney function.

  • The malpighian body is essential for filtering blood.

  • Damage to the malpighian body can impair proper kidney function.

  • Each nephron begins with a malpighian body that filters waste from the blood.

  • The malpighian body is crucial for the filtration of blood in the nephron.

Synonyms

malpighian corpuscle
vsmalpighian body
  • Specialized
9.9

A part of the kidney at the end of a small tube where blood is filtered

is the identical structure expressed with an alternative name
renal corpuscle
vsmalpighian body
  • Specialized
8.1

A small part of the kidney that filters blood to start making urine

is the same filtering structure but called by a different term

Surface Forms

malpighian body singular
malpighian bodies plural

Morphology

Malpighian + body

The adjective "Malpighian" is an eponymic, technical label (linked to the anatomist Malpighi) and does not transparently describe the structure or function of the referent; combining that with the general noun "body" (main part) does not yield the specific notion of a kidney capsule containing Bowman's capsule and a glomerulus. Because the meaning is specialized and not compositionally derivable from the parts, a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not be able to infer the MWE's medical sense.

Etymology

The term malpighian body is named after the Italian scientist Marcello Malpighi, who in the 1600s first saw tiny round kidney capsules through a simple microscope. Because he showed these parts help the kidney 'filter blood', his name became the name for that structure today.