Skip to definition.
Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps


Noun: papilla (papillae)  pu'pi-lu
  1. (botany) a tiny outgrowth on the surface of a petal or leaf
     
  2. A small nipple-shaped protuberance concerned with taste, touch, or smell
    "the papillae of the tongue"
     
  3. A small projection of tissue at the base of a hair, tooth or feather

Derived forms: papillae

Type of: appendage, outgrowth, process

Part of: receptor, sense organ, sensory receptor

Encyclopedia: Papilla