Pinna

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pinna \Pin"na\, n.; pl. {Pinn[ae]}, E. {Pinnas}. [L., a
     feather.]
     1. (Bot.)
        (a) A leaflet of a pinnate leaf. See Illust. of {Bipinnate
            leaf}, under {Bipinnate}.
        (b) One of the primary divisions of a decompound leaf.


            [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) One of the divisions of a pinnate part or organ.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. [L. pinna, akin to Gr. ?.] (Zool.) Any species of {Pinna},
        a genus of large bivalve mollusks found in all warm seas.
        The byssus consists of a large number of long, silky
        fibers, which have been used in manufacturing woven
        fabrics, as a curiosity.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Anat.) The auricle of the ear. See {Ear}.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Byssus \Bys"sus\, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus
     fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by`ssos .]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients.
        It is disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk.
        [Written also {byss} and {byssin}.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) A tuft of long, tough filaments which are formed
        in a groove of the foot, and issue from between the valves
        of certain bivalve mollusks, as the {Pinna} and {Mytilus},
        by which they attach themselves to rocks, etc.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of
        slender threads.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Asbestus.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  pinna
       n 1: division of a usually pinnately divided leaf [syn: {pinnule}]
       2: the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the
          external ear [syn: {auricle}, {ear}]
       [also: {pinnae} (pl)]