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papilla
[ puh-pil-uh ]
/ pəˈpɪl ə /
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noun, plural pa·pil·lae [puh-pil-ee]. /pəˈpɪl i/.
any small, nipplelike process or projection.
one of certain small protuberances concerned with the senses of touch, taste, and smell: the papillae of the tongue.
a small vascular process at the root of a hair.
a papule or pimple.
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Origin of papilla
1400–50; late Middle English <Latin: nipple, teat, diminutive of papula pimple. See pap2
OTHER WORDS FROM papilla
pap·il·lar [pap-uh-ler, puh-pil-er], /ˈpæp ə lər, pəˈpɪl ər/, adjectiveWords nearby papilla
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use papilla in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for papilla
papilla
/ (pəˈpɪlə) /
noun plural -lae (-liː)
the small projection of tissue at the base of a hair, tooth, or feather
any other similar protuberance
any minute blunt hair or process occurring in plants
Derived forms of papilla
papillary, papillate or papillose, adjectiveWord Origin for papilla
C18: from Latin: nipple; related to Latin papula pimple
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
Scientific definitions for papilla
papilla
[ pə-pĭl′ə ]
Plural papillae (pə-pĭl′ē)
A small part projecting from the surface of an organism. In mammals, the nipples of the mammary glands and the taste buds of the tongue are papillae. Papillae are often seen on the undersurfaces of mosses and ferns.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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