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



RESET




Word of the Day

24 November 2024

CUNT

(noun) a person (usually but not necessarily a woman) who is thoroughly disliked; “she said her son thought Hillary was a bitch”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

coffee icon