‖n. [ NL. See Malpighian. ] (Bot.) A genus of tropical American shrubs with opposite leaves and small white or reddish flowers. The drupes of Malpighia glabra (formerly Malpighia urens) are eaten under the name of Barbadoes cherries. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of tropical trees and shrubs (Malpighiaceae), some of them climbing plants, and their stems forming many of the curious lianes of South American forests. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. (Bot.) THe species name of the acerola, also called barbados cherry, a tropical American shrub bearing edible cherrylike acid red fruit.
Syn. -- barbados cherry, acerola, Surinam cherry, West Indian cherry. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Marcello Malpighi, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century. [ 1913 Webster ]

Malpighian capsules or
Malpighian corpuscles (Anatomy), the globular dilatations, containing the glomeruli or Malpighian tufts, at the extremities of the urinary tubules of the kidney. --
Malpighian corpuscles of the spleen, masses of adenoid tissue connected with branches of the splenic artery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Anatomy), The capsule that contains a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron; also called malpighian corpuscle and Malpighian capsule. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Anatomy), See malpighian body.
Syn. -- malpighian body, Malpighian capsule. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Anatomy), The innermost layer of the epidermis.
Syn. -- stratum germinativum, rete Malpighii. [ WordNet 1.5 ]