What does lamellae mean?
Lamellae are thin, flat plates or layers, and the word is used especially in biology and mycology. In fish, lamellae are the numerous parallel plates that make up the gill filaments, greatly increasing the surface area available for gas exchange. In many mushrooms, they are the gill-like structures found beneath the cap, where they produce and release spores. The word can also describe microscopic layers in structures such as bone. It is primarily a plural noun in standard English, with lamella as its singular form. Lamellae is more precise than a general term such as layers because it suggests distinct, thin, plate-like elements rather than an undivided sheet or coating.
noun (plural)Lamellae is the plural of lamella, a thin layer, plate, or scale. In biology, the term refers especially to the plate-like structures in gills and the gill-like structures beneath the caps of many fungi.
- Thin layers, plates, or scales
- The plate-like structures forming part of a fish's gills
- The gill-like plates beneath the cap of a fungus
"The delicate lamellae in the fish's gills provide a large surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide."
"The gill lamellae are packed with capillaries, allowing the fish to absorb oxygen efficiently from the water."
"Mushroom hunters examined the lamellae beneath the cap to determine whether the fungus might be poisonous."
Lamella is the singular of lamellae and is used when referring to one thin plate or layer.
"Each lamella in the fish's gill contains a dense network of blood capillaries."
A fish breathes through lamellae: countless tiny plates that make the surface of its gills enormously efficient at capturing oxygen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lamellae come from?
The word comes through New Latin from Latin lamella, a diminutive of lamina, meaning a thin plate or layer. The Latin diminutive -ella conveys smallness, reflecting the use of lamellae for small plate-like structures. The root also underlies related English forms such as laminar, lamellate, and lamellation, which describe a layered or plate-like arrangement.
Related word forms
How lamellae is actually used
The plural form is standard in English; the corresponding singular is lamella. The term is most common in biology, anatomy, and mycology, where it has a technical or specialist register.
Easily confused with lamellae
Laminae are thin sheets or layers more generally, whereas lamellae are more specifically small plates or blade-like structures.