COLUMELLA

noun a columnlike axis in the capsules of mosses.

2. columella ·noun the upright pillar in the axis of most univalve shells.

3. columella ·noun the central pillar or axis of the calicles of certain corals.

4. columella ·noun an axis to which a carpel of a compound pistil may be attached, as in the case of the geranium; or which is left when a pod opens.

5. columella ·noun a term applied to various columnlike parts; as, the columella, or epipterygoid bone, in the skull of many lizards; the columella of the ear, the bony or cartilaginous rod connecting the tympanic membrane with the internal ear.