Intestinal villus



Intestinal villi (singular: villus) are small, finger-like projections that protrude from the epithelial lining of the small intestine's walls. Each villus is approximately 0.5-1.6 mm in length, and has many microvilli projecting from the enterocytes of its epithelium which collectively form the striated or brush border. Each of these microvilli are much smaller than a single villus. The intestinal villi are much smaller than any of the circular folds in the intestine.