Meaning

noun a tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways

noun a bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth

originEtymology tree Latin alvus Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Indo-European *-éyos Proto-Italic *-ejos Proto-Italic *-eos Latin -eus Latin alveus Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -olus Latin alveolusbor. English alveolus Borrowed from Latin alveolus (“a small hollow or cavity”), diminutive of alveus (“a hollow, cavity”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0