What does medullar mean?
Medullar is a formal, uncommon adjective meaning “of or resembling a medulla.” The term is most often applied to the soft, marrow-filled interior of a bone and, in botany, to the central pith of a stem. In medical contexts it can also describe tissue or structures associated with an organ's medulla. The word is closely related to the more familiar medullary, and the latter is the usual modern choice in terms such as medullary thyroid carcinoma. Medullar appears chiefly in technical, formal, and occasionally archaic writing, so its concise appearance can signal a specialist or historical context. It comes from Latin medulla, meaning “marrow” or “pith,” and shares that root with terms including medullary and medullitis. Although less useful in everyday speech than its more familiar relative, medullar is valuable for recognizing word families in anatomy and botany and for understanding a number of specialized compounds.
adjectiveOf, relating to, or resembling a medulla, especially the soft inner tissue of a bone or the central pith of a plant stem.
- Of or relating to the marrow or soft inner tissue of a bone.
- Of or relating to the pith or central tissue of a plant stem or similar structure.
"The specimen's medullar tissue showed clear signs of inflammation."
"The scan showed a small lesion in the medullar region of the femur."
"In botanical descriptions, the medullar core is the soft tissue at the center of the stem."
Medullar hides Latin for marrow—medulla—the same root found in medulla, medullary, and the medulla oblongata.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does medullar come from?
Medullar ultimately comes from Latin medulla, meaning “marrow” or the “pith” of a plant, through the Latin adjectival formation medullaris. It became established in English in learned medical and botanical contexts and is now chiefly used as a less common relative of medullary. Related English forms, including medullary and medullitis, preserve the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How medullar is actually used
Formal, specialized, and somewhat uncommon outside anatomy, medicine, and botany. It is fully accepted in standard English but may sound old-fashioned or unusually terse in general writing.
Easily confused with medullar
Both words have the same meaning, but medullary is the more common modern form, while medullar is a less frequent variant.
Medulla is a noun naming a structure or substance, such as bone marrow or plant pith, whereas medullar is an adjective relating to such a structure.