Definition of "cannula" [can•nu•la]

• A flexible tube, usually containing a trocar at one end, that is inserted into a bodily cavity, duct, or vessel to drain fluid or administer a substance such as a medication. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Before the skull emerges, he "collapses" it by inserting a three-millimeter instrument known as a cannula and extracting its fluid."
• "Cutting such holes, known as cannula, are common in the bovine research field."
• "Liposuction (LYE-poe-suc-shun) is a procedure in which fat deposits are suctioned from the body using a small, hollow wand called a cannula (CAN-you-luh)."