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.
- the gill cover of fishes and amphibians.
- (in many gastropods) a horny plate that closes the opening of the shell when the animal is retracted.
Origin of operculum
OTHER WORDS FROM operculum
o·per·cu·lar, adjectiveWords nearby operculum
operator gene,
operatory,
opercle,
operculate,
operculitis,
operculum,
opere citato,
operetta,
operon,
operose,
opers
Example sentences from the Web for operculum
British Dictionary definitions for operculum
operculum
/ (əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm) /
noun plural -la (-lə) or -lums
zoology
- the hard bony flap covering the gill slits in fishes
- the bony plate in certain gastropods covering the opening of the shell when the body is withdrawn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), adjectiveWord Origin for operculum
C18: via New Latin from Latin: lid, from
operīre to cover
Medical definitions for operculum
operculum
[ ō-pûr′kyə-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•per′cu•lar (-lər) adj.Scientific definitions for operculum
operculum
[ ō-pûr′kyə-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.