Meanings
- anatomyA rounded protuberance found on the posterior edge of the superior articular process of a lumbar vertebra.
The processus mamillaris is located on the dorsolateral edge of the upper articular process.
2011, Jiri Nedoma, Jiri Stehlik, Ilan Hlavacek, Josef Danek, Tatjana Dostolova, & Petra Preckova, Mathematical and Computational Methods in Biomechanics of Human Skeletal Systems, Chapter 7.10, page 464Synonyms: mamillary process, metapophysis
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rounded protuberance found on the posterior edge of the superior articular process of a lumbar vertebra.
Origin
Coined by the British surgeon G. M. Humphry; from Latin, because of its resemblance to a small breast.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
processus mamillaris. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/processus%20mamillaris
“processus mamillaris.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/processus%20mamillaris. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “processus mamillaris,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/processus%20mamillaris.
Source: processus mamillaris on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.