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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.

4. Botany A minute projection on the surface of a stigma, petal, or leaf.

[Latin, nipple, diminutive of papula, swelling, pimple.]

papil·lar′y (păpə-lĕr′ē, pə-pĭlə-rē) adj.

papil·late′ (păpə-lāt′, pə-pĭlĭt) adj.

pap·il·lose (păpə-lōs′, pə-pĭlōs′) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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