columella
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col·u·mel·la
(kŏl′yə-mĕl′ə, kŏl′ə-)n. pl. col·u·mel·lae (-mĕl′ē)
Any small columnlike structure in various plants and animals, often forming the central axis of development for the organism or an anatomical structure.
[Latin, diminutive of columna, column; see column.]
col′u·mel′lar (-mĕl′ər) adj.
col′u·mel′late′ (-mĕl′āt′) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
columella
(ˌkɒljʊˈmɛlə)n, pl -lae (-liː)
1. (Biology) biology
a. the central part of the spore-producing body of some fungi and mosses
b. any similar columnar structure
2. (Zoology) Also called: columella auris a small rodlike bone in the middle ear of frogs, reptiles, and birds that transmits sound to the inner ear: homologous to the mammalian stapes
[C16: from Latin: diminutive of columna column]
ˌcoluˈmellar adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
col•u•mel•la
(ˌkɒl yəˈmɛl ə)n., pl. -mel•lae (-ˈmɛl i)
1. any of various small, columnlike structures of animals or plants; rod or axis.
2. the middle ear bone of amphibians, reptiles, and birds.
col`u•mel′lar, adj.
col`u•mel′late (-ɪt, -eɪt) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | columella - a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal |
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