papilla

[puh-pil-uh] /pəˈpɪl ə/
noun, plural papillae
[puh-pil-ee] /pəˈpɪl i/ (Show IPA)
1.
any small, nipplelike process or projection.
2.
one of certain small protuberances concerned with the senses of touch, taste, and smell:
the papillae of the tongue.
3.
a small vascular process at the root of a hair.
4.
a papule or pimple.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Latin: nipple, teat, diminutive of papula pimple. See pap2
Related forms
papillar
[pap-uh-ler, puh-pil-er] /ˈpæp ə lər, pəˈpɪl ər/ (Show IPA), adjective
British Dictionary definitions for papilla

papilla

/pəˈpɪlə/
noun (pl) -lae (-liː)
1.
the small projection of tissue at the base of a hair, tooth, or feather
2.
any other similar protuberance
3.
any minute blunt hair or process occurring in plants
Derived Forms
papillary, papillate, papillose, adjective
Word Origin
C18: from Latin: nipple; related to Latin papula pimple
Word Origin and History for papilla
n.

plural papillae, 1690s, "nipple," from Latin papilla "nipple," diminutive of papula "swelling" (see pap (n.2)). Meaning "nipple-like protuberance" attested from 1713.

papilla in Medicine

papilla pa·pil·la (pə-pĭl'ə)
n. pl. pa·pil·lae (-pĭl'ē)

  1. A small nipplelike projection, such as a protuberance on the skin, at the root of a hair or feather, or at the base of a developing tooth.

  2. One of the small, round or cone-shaped protuberances on the top of the tongue that contain taste buds.

  3. A pimple or pustule.

pap'il·lar'y (pāp'ə-lěr'ē, pə-pĭl'ə-rē) adj.
pap'il·late' (pāp'ə-lāt', pə-pĭl'ĭt) adj.
pap·il·lose (pāp'ə-lōs', pə-pĭl'ōs') adj.
papilla in Science
papilla
  (pə-pĭl'ə)   
Plural papillae (pə-pĭl'ē)
A small part projecting from the surface of an organism. In mammals, the nipples of the mammary glands and the taste buds of the tongue are papillae. Papillae are often seen on the undersurfaces of mosses and ferns.