Columella
/ˌkɒl.jʊˈmɛl.ə/noun
A small column or pillar; in anatomy, a central supporting structure; in botany, a central axis in certain fruits or fungi.
Did you know?Columella comes from Latin *columella*, a diminutive of *columna* (“column”), so the word carries the same root as the monumental pillars that once marked power, temples, and permanence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, project, or be prominent”
Latin
Latin
columna
“a pillar or supporting column”
Latin
Latin
columella
“a little column; a small pillar or supporting post”
Late Latin
Latin
columella
“used for small central supports and anatomical structures”
Middle English
English
columelle
“a small column or pillar”
Modern English
English
columella
“a small column or central supporting structure”