n, pl  hi*la   1  :  a scar on a seed (as a bean) marking the point of attachment of the ovule  2  :  a notch in or opening from a bodily part suggesting the hilum of a bean esp. when it is where the blood vessels, nerves, or ducts leave and enter: as  a  :  the indented part of a kidney  b  :  the depression in the medial surface of a lung that forms the opening through which the bronchus, blood vessels, and nerves pass  c  :  a shallow depression in one side of a lymph node through which blood vessels pass and efferent lymphatic vessels emerge .
 
 
 
Similar sounding terms:  he·li·um 
 
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