A form of endocytosis where cells take in fluid and dissolved substances by forming small vesicles from the cell membrane. Often called 'cell drinking,' it allows cells to sample their environment and absorb nutrients.
From Greek 'pinein' meaning to drink and 'kytos' meaning cell, literally meaning 'cell drinking.' The term was coined in the 1930s to distinguish this process from phagocytosis, emphasizing the uptake of liquids rather than solid particles.
While phagocytosis is like cellular eating, pinocytosis is like cellular sipping - cells constantly take tiny gulps of their surroundings to monitor what's available and absorb dissolved nutrients! Every cell in your body is essentially drinking its environment all the time.
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