rhizocephalous
[ rahy-zoh-sef-uh-luh s ]
/ ˌraɪ zoʊˈsɛf ə ləs /
adjective Zoology.
belonging to the Rhizocephala, a group of degenerate hermaphrodite crustaceans that are parasitic chiefly on crabs.
Origin of rhizocephalous
First recorded in 1890–95;
rhizo- +
-cephalous
OTHER WORDS FROM rhizocephalous
rhi·zo·ceph·a·lan, nounWords nearby rhizocephalous
rhizanthous,
rhizo-,
rhizobium,
rhizocarpous,
rhizocephalan,
rhizocephalous,
rhizoctonia,
rhizogenic,
rhizoid,
rhizome,
rhizomelia
British Dictionary definitions for rhizocephalan
rhizocephalan
/ (ˌraɪzəʊˈsɛfələn) /
noun
any parasitic crustacean of the order Rhizocephala, esp Sacculina carcini, which has a saclike body and sends out absorptive processes into the body of its host, the crab: subclass Cirripedia (barnacles)
adjective Also: rhizocephalous
of, relating to, or belonging to the order Rhizocephala
Word Origin for rhizocephalan
C19: from New Latin
Rhizocephala (literally: root-headed), from
rhizo- +
-cephala from Greek
kephalē head