Hypertext Webster Gateway: "pinna"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
2. (Zo["o]l.) One of the divisions of a pinnate part or
organ.
3. [L. pinna, akin to Gr. ?.] (Zo["o]l.) 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.
4. (Anat.) The auricle of the ear. See {Ear}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Byssus \Bys"sus\, n.; pl. E. {Byssuses}; L. {Byssi}.[L. byssus
fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by`ssos .]
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}.]
2. (Zo["o]l.) 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.
3. (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of
slender threads.
4. Asbestus.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (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}]
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