pa·tel·la (p?-t?l??)n. pl. pa·tel·lae (-t?l??) 1. a. A flat triangular bone located at the front of the knee joint. Also called kneecap.b. A dish-shaped anatomical formation.2. A pan or dish in ancient Rome.[Latin, diminutive of patina, plate, pan; see paten.]pa·tel?lar, pa·tel?late (-t?l??t, -?t?) adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.patella (p??t?l?) n, pl -lae (-li?) 1. (Anatomy) anatomy a small flat triangular bone in front of and protecting the knee joint. Nontechnical name: kneecap 2. (Biology) biology a cuplike structure, such as the spore-producing body of certain ascomycetous fungi3. (Archaeology) archaeol a small pan[C17: from Latin, from patina shallow pan] pa?tellar adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014pa?tel?la (p??t?l ?) n., pl. -tel?las, -tel?lae (-?t?l i) 1. the flat, movable bone at the front of the knee; kneecap. 2. any other disklike anatomical structure. [1665?75;