hila

Noun

hilum (plural hila)

1. The eye of a bean or other seed, or the center of that eye; the mark or scar at the point of attachment of an ovule or seed to its base or support.
   • The hilum is very prominent in some species and nearly flat in others.1913, Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, volume III, Washington, D.C.: Washington Academy of Sciences, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 141
2. The nucleus of a starch grain.
   • In central hilum starch grains the grain is laid down around the hilum in the form of concentric layers.1916, William Mansfield, Histology of Medicinal Plants, New York, N.Y.: John Wiley & Sons, →OCLC, page 188
3. A depression or fissure through which ducts, nerves, or blood vessels enter and leave a gland or organ.
   • [The pancreas] is a hook-shaped gland, about 15 cm long, that lies transversely across the upper abdomen, with the head in the C-shaped curve of the duodenum[…], extending to the left as the body behind the stomach and ending as the tail lying against the hilum of the spleen.1998, R[obert] M[atthew] H[ay] McMinn, R. T. Hutchings, B. M. Logan, “Abdomen”, in The Concise Handbook of Human Anatomy, London: Manson Publishing, →ISBN, pages 144–145

   Synonyms:

   porta