pl. of Villus.

Tiny hairlike projections lining the interior of the small intestine, that serve to increase greatly the surface area available for the absorption of nutrients.

A slender projection of the mucous membrane of the small intestine.

any of numerous hairlike or fingerlike vascular processes on certain mucous membranes of the body, as of the small intestine, serving to secrete mucus, absorb fats, and so on; or of the chorion in the mammalian placenta, serving in the exchange of food materials, and so on between the mother and the fetus.