papilla

[puh-pil-uh]

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.

Origin of papilla

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

Related formspap·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. 2018

Examples from the Web for papillae

Historical Examples of papillae

The papillae on the neck are not found in any American species.
North American Recent Soft-shelled Turtles (Family Trionychidae)
Robert G. Webb
In the third, it bristled with tiny spots similar to the papillae on a cat's tongue.
The Life of the Fly
J. Henri Fabre
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
Ambulacral appendages take the form of: circumoral tentacles, sucking-feet, papillae; of these alone is always present.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10
Various
Papillae present only laterally H. boulengeri Papillae present laterally and ventrallyH.
The Systematics of the Frogs of the Hyla Rubra Group in Middle America
Juan R. Len

British Dictionary definitions for papillae

papilla

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 Formspapillary, 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

Word Origin and History for papillae

papilla

plural papillae, 1690s, "nipple," from Latin papilla "nipple," diminutive of papula "swelling" (see pap (n.2)). Meaning "nipple-like protuberance" attested from 1713.

papillae in Medicine

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 formspap′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.

papillae in Science

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.