Category:Patella

Pa*tel"la, n.; pl. Patellæ. Etym: [l., a small pan, the kneepan, dim. Of patina, patena, a pan, dish.]

1. A small dish, pan, or vase.

2. (anat.)

Defn: the kneepan; the cap of the knee.

3. (zoöl.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: a kind of apothecium in lichens, which is orbicular, flat, and Sessile, and has a special rim not a part of the thallus.