gob·let cell 'gäb-lət- n a mucus-secreting epithelial cell (as of columnar epithelium) that is distended with secretion or its precursors at the free end
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a column-shaped secretory cell found in the epithelium of the respiratory and intestinal tracts. Goblet cells secrete the principal constituents of mucus.
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a unicellular mucous gland found in the epithelium of various mucous membranes, especially that of the respiratory passages and intestines. Droplets of mucigen collect in the upper part of the cell and distend it, while the basal end remains slender, and the cell assumes the shape of a goblet. Called also beaker c., caliciform c., and chalice c. See also ptyocrinous.
Jejunal goblet cell discharging mucus.
Medical dictionary. 2011.