Columella
//ˌkɒləˈmɛlə// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various small structures in plants or animals that are columnar in shape.
- 2 a small column (or structure resembling a column) that is a part of a plant or animal wordnet
- 3 The skin at the end of the septum which separates the nostrils.
- 4 In birds, reptiles, and amphibians, the small bone which carries vibration from the tympanum to the inner ear. comparative
- 5 In gastropods, the structure that extends down the middle of the whorls of the shell.
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- 6 The structure at the center of the calyx where the septa join together.
- 7 The central sterile portion of the sporangium in various fungi.
- 8 A rod-shaped reinforcing element of the sexine layer of a pollen grain.
Synonyms
All synonymsEtymology
From Latin columella (“small column”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.