columella
(noun) a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal
Source: WordNet® 3.1
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
13 February 2025
(verb) cause the failure or ruin of; “His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage”; “This play will either make or break the playwright”
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.
