Hi"lum (?), n. [L., a little thing, trifle.]

1. Bot.

The eye of a bean or other seed; the mark or scar at the point of attachment of an ovule or seed to its base or support; -- called also hile.

2. Anat.

The part of a gland, or similar organ, where the blood vessels and nerves enter; the hilus; as, the hilum of the kidney.

 

© Webster 1913.