papillae definition
2. papilla-a small nipple-shaped protuberance concerned with taste, touch, or smell; the papillae of the tongue. sense organ, sensory receptor, receptor-an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation.. papilla-a small projection of tissue at the base of a hair or tooth or feather. appendage, outgrowth, process-a natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant; a bony process.