vacuole

Etymology

From French vacuole, from Medieval Latin vacuola, formed as a diminutive of Latin vacuus (“empty”).

noun

1. (cytology) A large membrane-bound vesicle in a cell's cytoplasm.
2. A small empty or air-filled space or vacuity.
   This surface itself was not entirely homogeneous, but beneath it, seen as through ground glass, there were dim whitish patches or vacuoles, which varied constantly in shape and size. 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed