An alternative spelling of aspergilla, a brush-like or sprinkler device shaped like a tuft, originally used for sprinkling holy water.
From Latin 'aspergillum' with the feminine diminutive ending '-a', derived from 'aspergere' (to sprinkle). The spelling variant reflects different transliteration choices from Latin into English scientific and religious terminology.
This spelling variant reveals how Latin botanical and liturgical terms entered English through different pathways—some through direct Catholic tradition and others through scientific naming, creating multiple valid spellings for the same instruments and organisms.
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