villus

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Latin villus (“shaggy hair”).

1. A small projection from a membrane, particularly those found in the mucous membranes of the intestines.

   “where a villus comes next to a gland the short cubical cells of the gland may be traced into the columnar cells of the villus , the hyaline border becoming more marked”

   “Studies of the viable blood cells with phase contrast microscopy showed peculiar cells that had numerous short villi and were arbitrarily called “hairy cells.””

2. One of the fine soft hairs on fruits, flowers, and other parts of plants.