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.