papilla
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.
Origin of papilla
1Other words from papilla
- pap·il·lar [pap-uh-ler, puh-pil-er], /ˈpæp ə lər, pəˈpɪl ər/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use papilla in a sentence
Papillae present only laterally H. boulengeri Papillae present laterally and ventrallyH.
Feathers, like hairs, arise from epidermal papillae which become imbedded in pits in the dermis.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. ReynoldsThese are conical structures composed of a solid mass of hardened epidermal cells growing from a cluster of long dermal papillae.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. ReynoldsThe enlargement and compression of adjacent papillae give rise to a velvety appearance of the surface.
The inflammation is accompanied by the formation of so-called granules, and at the same time by a hyperplasia of the papillae.
British Dictionary definitions for papilla
/ (pəˈpɪlə) /
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
Origin of papilla
1Derived forms of papilla
- papillary, papillate or papillose, adjective
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
[ pə-pĭl′ə ]
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 Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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