A
trabecula (plural
trabeculae, from Latin for "small beam") is a small, often microscopic,
tissue element in the form of a small
beam,
strut or
rod, generally having a mechanical function, and usually composed of dense
collagenous tissue (such as the
trabecula of the
spleen.) They can be composed of other materials; in the
heart, for example,
muscles such as
trabeculae carneae and
septomarginal trabecula form similar structures. The formation of trabeculae is known as
trabeculation.