brachiopod

American  

[brey-kee-uh-pod, brak-ee-] / ˈbreɪ ki əˌpɒd, ˈbræk i- /

noun

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

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adjective

1. Also brachiopodous belonging or pertaining to the Brachiopoda.

brachiopod British  

/ ˈbreɪkɪəˌpɒd, ˈbræk- /

noun

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

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brachiopod Scientific  

/ brā′kē-ə-pŏd′ /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of brachiopod

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

Example Sentences

As researchers recently proposed in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, the collapse of the brachiopod empire exemplifies a struggle that has defined life from the start: the quest for phosphorus.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2022

“It would be very difficult to convince someone of that if it’s a brachiopod, but T. rex takes it to another level.”

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2022

Dr. Jurikova and her team discovered spikes of the element boron — a proxy for acidity levels — in fossil brachiopod shells found in rocks in Italy that stretch across the extinction boundary.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2020

There are brachiopod teachers who transmit their own minds but do not stimulate students to advance human knowledge.

From Time Magazine Archive

Spirifer, spir′i-fėr, n. a brachiopod of the Carboniferous system.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various