papillae
Small fleshy protrusions
Papillae are small projections on body surfaces, typically sensory or functional in nature.
The most familiar are the tiny bumps covering the tongue's surface, which house taste buds: The papillae on your tongue help you detect different flavors.
The term appears in anatomy, botany, and dermatology for any small nipple-like protrusion.
Singular: papilla.
Flavor-detecting tongue cells
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- flavorCharacteristic taste quality
- gustationSense of flavor
- umamiFifth taste sensation
salty · sweet · bitter · sour · savory · palate · foliate · filiform
Perceiving through physical contact
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- mechanoreceptorsSensory cells detecting pressure
- dermalOf the skin
nerve endings · haptic · friction · grip · sensory · palpation · ridges · skin
Tissue covering body surfaces
- dermisLiving tissue under epidermis
- epidermisOutermost tissue layer
- vascularOf blood vessels
- projectionsEstimates extending forward
follicles · keratin · ducts · nipple · areola · mammary · renal · kidney
Uneven surface quality
- bumpinessUneven surface quality
- projectionsEstimates extending forward
- ridgedHaving raised lines
- nubblyRough with small lumps
graininess · surface · coarseness · raised · corrugation · grooved · furrowed · stippled
taste buds
Flavor-detecting tongue cells
umami · salty · sweet · bitter · sour · savory · palate · foliate · filiform · gustatory
touch
Perceiving through physical contact
- fingertipsTerminal phalanx pads
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- mechanoreceptorsSensory cells detecting pressure
dermal · nerve endings · haptic · friction · grip · sensory · palpation · ridges · skin
epithelium
Tissue covering body surfaces
projections · follicles · keratin · ducts · nipple · areola · mammary · renal · kidney · dermal
roughness
Uneven surface quality
- bumpinessUneven surface quality
- projectionsEstimates extending forward
- ridgedHaving raised lines
nubbly · graininess · surface · coarseness · raised · corrugation · grooved · furrowed · stippled · nodular
leaf surface
Outer plane of foliage