ˌkäl(y)əˈmelə noun
( plural columel·lae -lē, -ˌlī)
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, small column, diminutive of columna column — more at column
1. : any of various anatomical parts likened to a column: as
a. or columella cra·nii -ˈkrānēˌī : the epipterygoid bone of the skull of many lizards
b. or columella au·ris -ˈȯrə̇s, -ˈau̇r- : the bony or partly cartilaginous rod, often with several distinct parts, connecting the tympanic membrane with the internal ear in birds and many reptiles and amphibians
c. : the bony central axis of the cochlea
d. : the central column or axis of a spiral univalve shell
e. : the central pillar in the calyx of many corals
2.
a. : the carpophore of various seed plants
b. : the axis of the capsule in mosses and in some of the liverworts (as those of the genus Anthoceros ) consisting of sterile tissue
c. : the central sterile portion of the sporangium in fungi of Mucor and related genera
d. : stalace
3. : a columnar thickening of the peripheral protoplasm of spirochetes