brachiopod

[ brey-kee-uh-pod, brak-ee- ]

/ ˈbreɪ ki əˌpɒd, ˈbræk i- /

Save This Word!

noun

any mollusklike, marine animal of the phylum Brachiopoda, having a dorsal and ventral shell; a lamp shell.

adjective

Also bra·chi·op·o·dous

[brey-kee-op-uh-duhs, brak-ee]. /ˌbreɪ kiˈɒp ə dəs, ˌbræk i/. belonging or pertaining to the Brachiopoda.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of brachiopod

From the New Latin word Brachiopoda, dating back to 1830–40. See brachio-, -pod

Words nearby brachiopod

brachiator, brachio-, brachiocephalic, brachiocephalic artery, brachiocephalic vein, brachiopod, brachiosaur, brachiosaurus, brachistochrone, brachium, brachy-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brachiopod in a sentence

Based on a genetic analysis, Wufengella is probably the common ancestor that connects brachiopods, bryozoans and phoronid worms, paleontologist Jakob Vinther and colleagues report September 27 in Current Biology.
This ancient worm might be an important evolutionary missing link|Allison Gasparini|October 13, 2022|Science News
Tubes stuck to the outer shells of hundreds of fossilized brachiopods discovered in an outcropping in China may have housed the earliest-known parasites.
These science claims from 2020 could be big news if confirmed|Cassie Martin|December 23, 2020|Science News
These tubes appeared only on brachiopods — never alone or on other animals.
Tube-dwelling sea creatures may be oldest known parasites|Jonathan Lambert|July 13, 2020|Science News For Students
This suggests that the tube-dwelling creature needed the brachiopod to survive.
Tube-dwelling sea creatures may be oldest known parasites|Jonathan Lambert|July 13, 2020|Science News For Students

The process is apparently the same in a nebula or a brachiopod, although much more intricate in the latter.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
Spirifer, spir′i-fėr, n. a brachiopod of the Carboniferous system.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
A genus unfigured and imperfectly described as differing in some respects from Terebratula and other Brachiopod.
A Conchological Manual|George Brettingham Sowerby

British Dictionary definitions for brachiopod

brachiopod

/ (ˈbreɪkɪəˌpɒd, ˈbræk-) /

noun

any marine invertebrate animal of the phylum Brachiopoda, having a ciliated feeding organ (lophophore) and a shell consisting of dorsal and ventral valvesAlso called: lamp shell See also bryozoan

Word Origin for brachiopod

C19: from New Latin Brachiopoda; see brachium, -pod

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 brachiopod

brachiopod

[ brā′kē-ə-pŏd′ ]

Any of various marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Brachiopoda that resemble clams. Brachiopods have paired upper and lower shells attached to a usually stationary stalk and hollow tentacles covered with cilia that sweep food particles into the mouth. Brachiopods are probably related to the phoronids and bryozoans, and were extremely abundant throughout the Paleozoic Era.