Definition of "lacteals" [lacteals]

• Plural form of lacteal. (noun)

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• "Now the food taken up by animal lacteals is previously prepared by the chemical process of digestion in the stomach; but that which is taken up by vegetable lacteals, is prepared by chemical dissolution of organic matter beneath the surface of the earth."
• "The Lymphatic Vessels of the Jejunum and Ileum are termed lacteals, from the milk-white fluid they contain during intestinal digestion."
• "Formerly, it was supposed that the lacteals were the only agents employed in absorption, but more recent investigations have shown that the blood-vessels participate equally in the process, and are frequently the more active and important of the two."