Term Name: | intestinal villus |
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Synonyms: | enteric villi, enteric villous, enteric villus, intestinal villi, intestinal villus layer, small intestine villus, villi intestinales, villus, villus intestinalis (intestinum tenue) |
Definition: | the tiny hair-like projections that protrude from the inside of the small intestine that contain blood vessels that capture digested nutrients that are absorbed through the intestinal wall; the villi increase the absorptive surface area of the small intestine by approximately 30-fold |
Ontology: | Cell Ontology [UBERON:0001213] |