brachiopod

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

/ ˈbreɪ ki əˌpɒd, ˈbræk i- /

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-duh s, brak-ee] /ˌbreɪ kiˈɒp ə dəs, ˌbræk i/. belonging or pertaining to the Brachiopoda.

Nearby words

brachiocephalic artery, brachiocephalic trunk, brachiocephalic vein, brachiocrural, brachiocubital, brachiopod, brachiosaur, brachiosaurus, brachistochrone, brachium, bracht maneuver

Origin of brachiopod

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brachiopod

A genus unfigured and imperfectly described as differing in some respects from Terebratula and other Brachiopod.
A Conchological Manual|George Brettingham Sowerby
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

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

Word Origin and History for brachiopod

brachiopod

"bivalve mollusk," 1836, Modern Latin, from Greek brakhion "arm" (see brachio-) + pous "foot" (see foot (n.)). They have long spiral "arms" on either side of their mouths.

Science 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.