phoronid
[ fuh-roh-nid ]
/ fəˈroʊ nɪd /
noun
any member of the invertebrate phylum Phoronida, wormlike marine animals living in a chitinous tube and having an anterior structure bearing ciliated tentacles for feeding.
adjective
belonging or pertaining to the phoronids.
Origin of phoronid
< New Latin
Phoronida, equivalent to
Phoron(is) name of genus (< Latin: a name of Io) +
-ida neuter plural noun suffix; see
-id2
Words nearby phoronid
phoresy,
phoria,
phormium,
phoro-,
phoro-optometer,
phoronid,
phoropter,
phos-,
phosgene,
phosgenite,
phosph-
Scientific definitions for phoronid
phoronid
[ fə-rō′nĭd ]
Any of various small, mostly solitary, wormlike marine invertebrates of the phylum Phoronida. As adults, phoronids live in the ocean floor in a tube that they secrete made of chitin. They have a U-shaped digestive tract and feed by filtering food particles with a ciliated structure called a lophophore. The larvae of phoronids are very different in appearance and are free-swimming. Phoronids are thought to be related to the brachiopods and bryozoans.