COLUMELLA
columella
(noun) a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
columella (plural columellas or columellae)
(biology) Any of various small structures in plants or animals that are columnar in shape.
(anatomy) The skin at the end of the septum which separates the nostrils.
(comparative anatomy) In birds, reptiles, and amphibians, the small bone which carries vibration from the tympanum to the inner ear.
(malacology) In gastropods, the structure at the center of the whorls of the shell.
(coral science) The structure at the center of the calyx where the septa join together.
(mycology) The central sterile portion of the sporangium in various fungi.
(palynology) A rod-shaped reinforcing element of the sexine layer of a pollen grain.
Source: Wiktionary
Col`u*mel"la, n. Etym: [L., dim. of columen column. See Column.]
1. (Bot.)
(a) An axis to which a carpel of a compound pistil may be attached,
as in the case of the geranium; or which is left when a pod opens.
(b) A columnlike axis in the capsule of mosses.
2. (Anat.)
Definition: A term applied to various columnlike parts; as, the columnella,
or epipterygoid bone, in the skull of many lizards; the columella of
the ear, the bony or cartilaginous rod connecting the tympanic
membrane with the internal ear.
3. (Zoöl.)
(a) The upright pillar in the axis of most univalve shells.
(b) The central pillar or axis of the calicles of certain corals.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition