papilla

[ puh-pil-uh ]

/ pəˈpɪl ə /

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.

Nearby words

paphos, papiamento, papier collé, papier-mâché, papilionaceous, papilla, papilla mammae, papilla of corium, papillary, papillary adenocarcinoma, papillary adenoma of large intestine

Origin of papilla

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin: nipple, teat, diminutive of papula pimple. See pap²

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for papillae

The epidermis now becomes raised as in a blister, and finally becomes detached, forming an excoriation and exposing the papillae.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5|Various
The inflammation is accompanied by the formation of so-called granules, and at the same time by a hyperplasia of the papillae.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1|Various
The papillae on the neck are not found in any American species.
North American Recent Soft-shelled Turtles (Family Trionychidae)|Robert G. Webb
A circumscribed hypertrophy of the papillae of the corium covered by thickened epidermis.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry|Maximilian Stern

Tongue long, with papillae, like that of the Lacertidae but only feebly nicked anteriorly.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for papillae

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

papillary, papillate or papillose, adjective

Word 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

Medicine definitions for papillae

papilla

[ pə-pĭl′ə ]

n. pl. pa•pil•lae (-pĭl′ē)

A small nipplelike projection, such as a protuberance on the skin, at the root of a hair or feather, or at the base of a developing tooth.

One of the small, round or cone-shaped protuberances on the top of the tongue that contain taste buds.

A pimple or pustule.

Related forms

pap′il•lar′y (păp′ə-lĕr′ē, pə-pĭl′ə-rē) adj.pap′il•late′ (păp′ə-lāt′, pə-pĭl′ĭt) adj.pap•il•lose (păp′ə-lōs′, pə-pĭl′ōs′) adj.

Science definitions for papillae

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.