[cha.la.za] n, pl -zae or -zas [NL, fr. Gk, hailstone] (ca. 1704) 1: either of two spiral bands in the white of a bird's egg that extend from the yolk and attach to opposite ends of the lining membrane--see egg illustration
2: the basal part of a plant ovule where the nucellus is fused to the surrounding integument and to which the funiculus is usu. attached -- cha.la.zal adj