brittle star
or brit·tle·star
noun
any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea, having the body composed of a central, rounded disk from which radiate long, slender, fragile arms.
Also called
serpent star.
Origin of brittle star
First recorded in 1835–45
Words nearby brittle star
brittle,
brittle bone disease,
brittle bones,
brittle diabetes,
brittle fern,
brittle star,
brittle-star,
brittlebush,
brittleness,
britton,
brittonic
Example sentences from the Web for brittle-star
Thus, for instance, when a Brittle-star has its nerve-ring severed between each ray, an interesting series of events follows.
We saw just now that the brittle-star breaks off its own rays at the slightest alarm.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History |Theodore Wood
British Dictionary definitions for brittle-star
brittle-star
noun
any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea, occurring on the sea bottom and having five long slender arms radiating from a small central disc
See also basket-star