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

Other 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.
The Systematics of the Frogs of the Hyla Rubra Group in Middle America | Juan R. Len
Feathers, like hairs, arise from epidermal papillae which become imbedded in pits in the dermis.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
These 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. Reynolds
The enlargement and compression of adjacent papillae give rise to a velvety appearance of the surface.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 | 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

British Dictionary definitions for papilla

papilla

/ (pəˈpɪlə) /

nounplural -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

Origin of papilla

C18: from Latin: nipple; related to Latin papula pimple

Derived 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

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.

Browse