A small column-like structure found in plants (in mushroom gills and fungal caps) or animals (inner ear bone structure); a central axis or support.
From Latin 'columella', diminutive of 'columna' meaning 'column.' First used in botany, then adopted in anatomy and zoology for similar structures across species.
The columella in your inner ear helps you hear high frequencies, but in a mushroom it does completely different structural work—yet scientists used the same word because they both look like tiny columns!
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