lophophore

[ lof-uh-fawr, -fohr, loh-fuh- ]

noun
  1. the ring of ciliated tentacles encircling the mouth of a bryozoan or phoronid.

  2. a similar organ in a brachiopod, composed of two ciliated, spirally coiled tentacles.

Origin of lophophore

1
1840–50; <Greek lóph(os) a crest, ridge + -o--o- + -phore

Other words from lophophore

  • lo·phoph·o·ral [luh-fof-er-uhl], /ləˈfɒf ər əl/, adjective

Words Nearby lophophore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lophophore in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lophophore

lophophore

/ (ˈləʊfəˌfɔː) /


noun
  1. a circle or horseshoe of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth and used for the capture of food in minute sessile animals of the phyla Brachiopoda, Phoronida, and Ectoprocta

Derived forms of lophophore

  • lophophorate, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lophophore

lophophore

[ lŏfə-fôr′ ]


  1. A horseshoe-shaped ciliated organ located near the mouth of brachiopods, bryozoans, and phoronids that is used to gather food.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.