One of the minute projections of cell membranes greatly increasing surface area; microvilli form the striated or brush borders of certain cells.
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mi·cro·vil·lus -'vil-əs n, pl -vil·li -.lī a microscopic projection of a tissue, cell, or cell organelle esp any of the fingerlike outward projections of some cell surfaces
mi·cro·vil·lar -'vil-ər adj
mi·cro·vil·lous -'vil-əs adj
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n. (pl. microvilli)
one of a number of microscopic hairlike structures (about 5 µm long) projecting from the surface of epithelial cells (see epithelium). They serve to increase the surface area of the cell and are seen on absorptive and secretory cells. In some regions (particularly the intestinal tract) microvilli form a dense covering on the free surface of the cells: this is called a brush border.
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mi·cro·vil·lus (mi″kro-vilґəs) a minute process or protrusion from the free surface of a cell; see microvilli.Medical dictionary. 2011.