papilla

See also: papil·la

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin papilla (“a nipple, teat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈpɪl.ə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlə

Noun

papilla (plural papillae)

1. (anatomy) A nipple-like protuberance on a part or organ of the body.
   1. A vascular process of connective tissue extending into and nourishing the root of a hair, feather, or developing tooth.
   2. Any of the vascular protuberances of the dermal layer of the skin extending into the epidermal layer and often containing tactile corpuscles.
   3. Any of the small protuberances on the upper surface of the tongue often containing taste buds.
2. (botany) A small fleshy projection on a plant.

Derived terms

• ileal papilla
• micropapilla
• papillitis
• papillotomy
• papillule
• urogenital papilla

Related terms

• papillar
• papillary
• papillate
• papillectomy
• papilliferous
• papilliform
• papilloma
• papillomatous

Translations

nipple-like protuberance

• Arabic: حُلَيْمَة f (ḥulayma)
• Bulgarian: пъпка (bg) f (pǎpka)
• Catalan: papil·la (ca) f
• Finnish: papilli (fi), papilla (fi)
• Georgian: დვრილი (dvrili)
• Irish: sineán m
• Italian: papilla (it) f
• Māori: hīnawanawa
• Persian: پاپیل (fa) (pâpil)
• Polish: brodawka (pl) f
• Portuguese: papila f
• Russian: сосо́чек (ru) m (sosóček), бугоро́к (ru) m (bugorók), борода́вка (ru) f (borodávka) (wart)
• Spanish: papila f
• Turkish: papil (tr), memecik (tr)

References

• “papilla”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “papilla”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑpilːɑ/, [ˈpɑ̝pilːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑpilːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): pa‧pil‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): pa‧pil‧la

Etymology 1

Noun

papilla

1. (anatomy, botany) alternative form of papilli

Declension

Inflection of papilla (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)
nominative		papilla	papillat
genitive		papillan	papilloiden papilloitten papillojen
partitive		papillaa	papilloita papilloja
illative		papillaan	papilloihin
		singular	plural
nominative		papilla	papillat
accusative	nom.	papilla	papillat
	gen.	papillan
genitive		papillan	papilloiden papilloitten papillojen papillain rare
partitive		papillaa	papilloita papilloja
inessive		papillassa	papilloissa
elative		papillasta	papilloista
illative		papillaan	papilloihin
adessive		papillalla	papilloilla
ablative		papillalta	papilloilta
allative		papillalle	papilloille
essive		papillana	papilloina
translative		papillaksi	papilloiksi
abessive		papillatta	papilloitta
instructive		—	papilloin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of papilla (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative papillani papillani accusative nom. papillani papillani gen. papillani genitive papillani papilloideni papilloitteni papillojeni papillaini rare partitive papillaani papilloitani papillojani inessive papillassani papilloissani elative papillastani papilloistani illative papillaani papilloihini adessive papillallani papilloillani ablative papillaltani papilloiltani allative papillalleni papilloilleni essive papillanani papilloinani translative papillakseni papilloikseni abessive papillattani papilloittani instructive — — comitative — papilloineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative papillasi papillasi accusative nom. papillasi papillasi gen. papillasi genitive papillasi papilloidesi papilloittesi papillojesi papillaisi rare partitive papillaasi papilloitasi papillojasi inessive papillassasi papilloissasi elative papillastasi papilloistasi illative papillaasi papilloihisi adessive papillallasi papilloillasi ablative papillaltasi papilloiltasi allative papillallesi papilloillesi essive papillanasi papilloinasi translative papillaksesi papilloiksesi abessive papillattasi papilloittasi instructive — — comitative — papilloinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative papillamme papillamme accusative nom. papillamme papillamme gen. papillamme genitive papillamme papilloidemme papilloittemme papillojemme papillaimme rare partitive papillaamme papilloitamme papillojamme inessive papillassamme papilloissamme elative papillastamme papilloistamme illative papillaamme papilloihimme adessive papillallamme papilloillamme ablative papillaltamme papilloiltamme allative papillallemme papilloillemme essive papillanamme papilloinamme translative papillaksemme papilloiksemme abessive papillattamme papilloittamme instructive — — comitative — papilloinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative papillanne papillanne accusative nom. papillanne papillanne gen. papillanne genitive papillanne papilloidenne papilloittenne papillojenne papillainne rare partitive papillaanne papilloitanne papillojanne inessive papillassanne papilloissanne elative papillastanne papilloistanne illative papillaanne papilloihinne adessive papillallanne papilloillanne ablative papillaltanne papilloiltanne allative papillallenne papilloillenne essive papillananne papilloinanne translative papillaksenne papilloiksenne abessive papillattanne papilloittanne instructive — — comitative — papilloinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative papillansa papillansa accusative nom. papillansa papillansa gen. papillansa genitive papillansa papilloidensa papilloittensa papillojensa papillainsa rare partitive papillaansa papilloitaan papillojaan papilloitansa papillojansa inessive papillassaan papillassansa papilloissaan papilloissansa elative papillastaan papillastansa papilloistaan papilloistansa illative papillaansa papilloihinsa adessive papillallaan papillallansa papilloillaan papilloillansa ablative papillaltaan papillaltansa papilloiltaan papilloiltansa allative papillalleen papillallensa papilloilleen papilloillensa essive papillanaan papillanansa papilloinaan papilloinansa translative papillakseen papillaksensa papilloikseen papilloiksensa abessive papillattaan papillattansa papilloittaan papilloittansa instructive — — comitative — papilloineen papilloinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• papillanekroosi

Further reading

• “papilla”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

Etymology 2

Noun

papilla

1. adessive singular of pappi

Interlingua

Noun

papilla (plural papillas)

1. nipple

Italian

Etymology

From Latin papilla.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈpil.la/
• Rhymes: -illa
• Hyphenation: pa‧pìl‧la

Noun

papilla f (plural papille)

1. papilla

Further reading

• papilla in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• allappi

Latin

Etymology

From papula (“a pustule, pimple”) +‎ -la (diminutive nominal suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [paˈpɪl.la]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [paˈpil.la]

Noun

papilla f (genitive papillae); first declension

1. diminutive of papula:
   1. (anatomy) a nipple, teat on the breast of human beings and of animals
   2. (transferred sense)
      1. (poetic) breast, bosom
         • Martialis, Epigrammata 14.134:

           Fascia, crescentes dominae compesce papillas, Ut sit quod capiat nostra tegatque manus.

           Breast-band! confine the swelling bosom of my mistress, that I may be able to cover and press it with my hand.

      2. (medicine) pustule, pimple
      3. rosebud

Inflection

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	papilla	papillae
genitive	papillae	papillārum
dative	papillae	papillīs
accusative	papillam	papillās
ablative	papillā	papillīs
vocative	papilla	papillae

Derived terms

• papillāris (adjective)
• papillātus (adjective)

Descendants

Descendants

• → Catalan: papil·la
• → English: papilla
• → Finnish: papilli
• → French: papille
• → Italian: papilla
• → Portuguese: papila
• → Serbo-Croatian: папѝла (papìla)
• → Sicilian: papiḍḍa
• → Spanish: papila

References

• “papilla”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “papilla”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “papilla”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Noun

papilla f (plural papillas)

1. obsolete spelling of papila

Spanish

Etymology

From papa +‎ -illa.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /paˈpiʝa/ [paˈpi.ʝa]

• IPA^(key): /paˈpiʝa/ [paˈpi.ʝa] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
• IPA^(key): /paˈpiʎa/ [paˈpi.ʎa] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /paˈpiʃa/ [paˈpi.ʃa] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /paˈpiʒa/ [paˈpi.ʒa] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

 

• Rhymes: -iʝa

• Rhymes: -iʝa (Equatorial Guinea, most of Spain and Latin America)
• Rhymes: -iʎa (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃa (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒa (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Syllabification: pa‧pi‧lla

Noun

papilla f (plural papillas)

1. baby food

Derived terms

• dar papilla
• echar la papilla
• hacer papilla
• hecho papilla

Further reading

• “papilla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025