columella

[ kol-yuh-mel-uh ]
/ ˌkɒl yəˈmɛl ə /

noun, plural col·u·mel·lae [kol-yuh-mel-ee] /ˌkɒl yəˈmɛl i/. Biology.

  1. any of various small, columnlike structures of animals or plants; rod or axis.
  2. Mycology. a small central column of sterile tissue within the sporangium of certain fungi, liverworts, and mosses.
a small bone in the ear of amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

Origin of columella

1575–85; < Latin: small column, equivalent to colum- (variant of column-, stem of columna column) + -ella -elle

OTHER WORDS FROM columella

col·u·mel·lar, adjective col·u·mel·late [kol-yuh-mel-it, -eyt] /ˌkɒl yəˈmɛl ɪt, -eɪt/, adjective post·col·u·mel·lar, adjective pseu·do·col·u·mel·lar, adjective

Words nearby columella

columbous, columbus, columbus air force base, columbus day, columbus, christopher, columella, columelliform, column, column chromatography, column dress, column inch

Example sentences from the Web for columella

British Dictionary definitions for columella

columella
/ (ˌkɒljʊˈmɛlə) /

noun plural -lae (-liː)

biology
  1. the central part of the spore-producing body of some fungi and mosses
  2. any similar columnar structure
Also called: columella auris (ˈɔːrɪs) 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

Derived forms of columella

columellar, adjective

Word Origin for columella

C16: from Latin: diminutive of columna column

Medical definitions for columella

columella
[ kŏl′yə-mĕl′ə ]

n. pl. col•u•mel•lae (-mĕl′ē)

A column-shaped anatomical structure.

Other words from columella

col′u•mel′lar (-mĕl′ər) adj. col′u•mel′late′ (-mĕl′āt′) adj.