hilum

Meanings

1. The eye of a bean or other seed, or the center of that eye; the mark or scar at the point of attachment of an ovule or seed to its base or support.
2. The nucleus of a starch grain.
3. A depression or fissure through which ducts, nerves, or blood vessels enter and leave a gland or organ.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin hīlum (“a trifle; a spot on a seed”).