[syn: auricle, pinna, ear]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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.
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2. (Zool.) One of the divisions of a pinnate part or organ.
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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.
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4. (Anat.) The auricle of the ear. See Ear.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Byssus \Bys"sus\, n.; pl. E. Byssuses; L. Byssi.[L. byssus
fine flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr. by`ssos .]
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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.]
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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.
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3. (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of
slender threads.
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4. Asbestus.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pinna
n 1: division of a usually pinnately divided leaf [syn: pinna,
pinnule]
2: the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the
external ear [syn: auricle, pinna, ear]