Columella
Origin
From Latin columella ("small column").
Full definition of columella
Noun
columella
(plural 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.