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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.

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Origin of columella

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

OTHER WORDS FROM columella

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

Words nearby columella

columbous, Columbus, Columbus Air Force Base, Columbus, Christopher, Columbus Day, columella, columelliform, column, columna, columnar, columnar cell
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.