Definition of "columella" [columella]

• Any small columnlike structure in various plants and animals, often forming the central axis of development for the organism or an anatomical structure. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There is a central support, called a columella, that runs right through the middle of the shell which gives it strength and provides a point of attachment for the soft parts of the animal."
• "The assumption commonly made is that vibrations in the water or air by direct contact cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate; this in turn causes a movement of the columella, which is transmitted to the perilymphatic fluid of the inner ear."
• "[Tracing the development of the columella was a long business, but it grew clearer as young frogs of various ages were examined.] "Don't be aggravated with yourself," [he writes to Parker in July,] "it's tough work, this here Frog.""