ampulla noun. [am'pʊlǝ] Pl. -llae [-li:]. LME.
[Latin, dim. of ampora var. of AMPHORA.]
1. Roman Antiquities. A small two-handled globular flask or bottle. LME.
2. A vessel for holding consecrated oil or for other sacred uses. L16.
3. Anatomy. A vessel or cavity shaped like the ancient ampulla. M19.
ampulla of Lorenzini [lɒr(ǝ)n'zi:ni] [Stefano Lorenzini, 17th-cent. Italian physician] Ichthyology a saclike sensory structure sensitive to electric fields, which occurs in numbers in the heads of certain fishes, esp. elasmobranchs. VATER's ampulla.

■ ampullar adjective of the form or character of an ampulla (sense 3) M19.

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