belemnite
Americannoun
noun
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any extinct marine cephalopod mollusc of the order Belemnoidea , related to the cuttlefish
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the long pointed conical internal shell of any of these animals: a common Mesozoic fossil
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Any of various extinct cephalopod mollusks of the order Belemnoidea that lived from the Triassic into the Tertiary Period. Belemnites had a large, cone-shaped internal shell with a complex structure that served as a support for muscles and as a hydrostatic device. Belemnites were closely related to the present-day squids and cuttlefishes.
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The fossilized internal shell of one of these cephalopods. Belemnites are used as index fossils.
Etymology
Origin of belemnite
1640–50; < French bélemnite, equivalent to Greek bélemn ( on ) a dart (noun derivative from base of bállein to throw) + French -ite -ite 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most belemnite fossils from Wyoming have a narrow, bullet-shaped appearance, typically measuring between 5 and 10 centimeters in length and just 1 to 2 centimeters across.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
He said the belemnite "stuck out like a sore thumb" compared with the countless others found in the region.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Wahl assembled an international team to investigate the fossils, bringing in specialists including belemnite expert Alexey Ippolitov, a PhD student now based at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
These detailed scans revealed an unexpected connection to an ancient belemnite family that scientists had believed disappeared millions of years before this animal lived.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
The belemnite, it turned out, had been discovered four years earlier by an amateur naturalist named Chaning Pearce, and the discovery had been fully reported at a meeting of the Geological Society.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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