squama
/ˈskweɪmə/
noun
- A small, flat, scale-like structure, such as a scale on a fish, reptile, or butterfly wing.
- Each squama on the butterfly's wing reflected a different color.
- The biologist examined the squama under a microscope to identify the fish species.
- The reptile's skin was covered in overlapping squamae that protected it from injury.
- A thin, flat piece of bone or other tissue in the body, especially in the skull.
- A fracture in the squama can sometimes heal without surgery.
- The anatomy textbook labeled the squama as a flat region of the occipital bone.
- The squama of the temporal bone forms part of the side of the skull.