papilla

The papilla ( borrowed from Latin papilla ) denotes:

• Elevations on the surface of plants (e.g. leaves ) or mushrooms , see papilla (botany)
• a wart-like protuberance or protrusion of the skin or mucous membrane such as
  • the nipple in mammals ( papilla mammaria )
  • the genital papilla in fish
  • the interdental papilla
  • Major duodenal papilla and minor duodenal papilla of the duodenum
  • Kidney papilla, see Internal Structure of the Kidney
  • a mucous membrane formation on the tongue ( papillae foliatae , - fungiformes , - vallatae )
• an interlocking of multilayered epithelia, see papillary body
• in ophthalmology :
  • the exit point of the optic nerve from the envelope of the eyeball ( papilla nervi optici, optic nerve head ), which causes the blind spot in the visual field
  • polygonal , flattened protrusions of the conjunctiva with a fine vascular tree in the center. They are typical of allergic inflammation.
• Finger-like, complex ramified papillae, which are an essential diagnostic feature of papillary thyroid carcinoma, see thyroid cancer
• Protuberance of the epidermis during plumage formation, see development of the bird's feather .

See also:

Wiktionary: papilla  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

This is a disambiguation page for differentiating between several terms identified with the same word.