columella

[ kol-yuh-mel-uh ]

/ ˌkɒl yəˈmɛl ə /

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

any of various small, columnlike structures of animals or plants; rod or axis.
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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of columella

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

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for columella

The lower part of this, when sufficiently distinct from that part which overwraps the body whorl, is called the Columella.
A Conchological Manual|George Brettingham Sowerby
Agricultural writers, too, such as Varro and Columella, deal with the subject of fish ponds and stews rather fully.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
Columella is quoted by Carlier, in 'Journal de Physique,' tom.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Volume II (of 2)|Charles Darwin
Shell fusiform and solid, aperture elongated, columella folded; no operculum; eyes on sides of tentacles.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various

Columella short, globose, evident (though distinct in mature plants).
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard

British Dictionary definitions for columella

columella

/ (ˌkɒljʊˈmɛlə) /

noun plural -lae (-liː)

biology

the central part of the spore-producing body of some fungi and mosses
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

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

Medicine definitions for columella

columella

[ kŏl′yə-mĕl′ə ]

n. pl. col•u•mel•lae (-mĕl′ē)

A column-shaped anatomical structure.

Related forms

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