Pinna
/ˈpɪnə/noun
A feather or wing-like part or structure; in anatomy, a projecting part such as the outer ear.
Did you know?Pinna comes from Latin for a feather or wing, and that same ancient root also gave English words like pen, pencil, and pine—objects once linked to writing, sharpness, and pointed forms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pet-
“to fly, to rush, to spread out”
Latin
Latin
pinna
“feather, wing, plume; later, a projecting point or fin”
Late Latin
Latin
pinna
“a fin, wing-like projection, or pinnated shape”
16th Century
English
pinna
“a feather; later, a wing-like or ear-like anatomical part”
Modern English
English
pinna
“the external part of the ear, or any feather-like projection”