operculum

[ oh-pur-kyuh-luh m ]
/ oʊˈpɜr kyə ləm /

noun, plural o·per·cu·la [oh-pur-kyuh-luh] /oʊˈpɜr kyə lə/, o·per·cu·lums.

Botany, Zoology. a part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel.
Zoology.
  1. the gill cover of fishes and amphibians.
  2. (in many gastropods) a horny plate that closes the opening of the shell when the animal is retracted.

Origin of operculum

1705–15; < New Latin, Latin: lid, cover, equivalent to oper(īre) to cover + -culum -cule2

OTHER WORDS FROM operculum

o·per·cu·lar, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for operculum

British Dictionary definitions for operculum

operculum
/ (əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə) or -lums

zoology
  1. the hard bony flap covering the gill slits in fishes
  2. the bony plate in certain gastropods covering the opening of the shell when the body is withdrawn
botany the covering of the spore-bearing capsule of a moss
biology any other covering or lid in various organisms

Derived forms of operculum

opercular or operculate (əʊˈpɜːkjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt), adjective

Word Origin for operculum

C18: via New Latin from Latin: lid, from operīre to cover

Medical definitions for operculum

operculum
[ ō-pûrkyə-ləm ]

n. pl. o•per•cu•lums

Something resembling a lid or cover.
The portions of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes covering the insula.
The mucus sealing the endocervical canal of the uterus after conception.
The attached flap in cases of torn retinal detachment.
The mucosal flap partially or completely covering an unerupted tooth.

Other words from operculum

o•percu•lar (-lər) adj.

Scientific definitions for operculum

operculum
[ ō-pûrkyə-ləm ]

Plural opercula operculums

A lid or flap covering an opening, such as the gill cover in some fish or the horny flap covering the opening of a snail.