[col.u.mel.la] n, pl -mel.lae [NL, fr. L, dim. of columna] (ca. 1755) 1: the central column or axis of a spiral univalve shell
2: the axis of the capsule in mosses and in some liverworts 3 a: the bony or partly cartilaginous rod connecting the tympanic membrane with the internal ear in birds and in many reptiles and amphibians b: the bony central axis of the cochlea
4: the central sterile portion of the sporangium in various fungi (Mucor and related genera) -- col.u.mel.lar adj