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Webster 1913 Edition
Patella
‖
Pa-tel′la
,Noun.
pl.
Patellæ
(#)
. [L., a small pan, the kneepan, dim. of
patina
, patena
, a pan, dish.] 1.
A small dish, pan, or vase.
2.
(Anat.)
The kneecap; the kneepan; the cap of the knee.
3.
(Zool.)
A genus of marine gastropods, including many species of limpets. The shell has the form of a flattened cone. The common European limpet (
Patella vulgata
) is largely used for food. 4.
(Bot.)
A kind of apothecium in lichens, which is orbicular, flat, and sessile, and has a special rim not a part of the thallus.