Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any small columnlike structure in various plants and animals, often forming the central axis of development for the organism or an anatomical structure.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biology Any of various small structures in plants or animals that are
columnar in shape. - noun anatomy The skin at the end of the
septum which separates thenostrils . - noun comparative anatomy In birds, reptiles, and amphibians, the small bone which carries
vibration from thetympanum to theinner ear . - noun malacology In
gastropods , the structure at the center of thewhorls of the shell. - noun coral science The structure at the center of the
calyx where thesepta join together. - noun mycology The central sterile portion of the
sporangium in variousfungi . - noun palynology A rod-shaped reinforcing element of the
sexine layer of a pollen grain.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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There is a central support, called a columella, that runs right through the middle of the shell which gives it strength and provides a point of attachment for the soft parts of the animal.
Mollusca 2007
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The assumption commonly made is that vibrations in the water or air by direct contact cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate; this in turn causes a movement of the columella, which is transmitted to the perilymphatic fluid of the inner ear.
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[Tracing the development of the columella was a long business, but it grew clearer as young frogs of various ages were examined.] "Don't be aggravated with yourself," [he writes to Parker in July,] "it's tough work, this here Frog."
Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 2 Thomas Henry Huxley 1860
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
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Such a rod is called a columella; it goes all the way through the center of the shell.
CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] Grace Lackey 2009
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