cephalopod

[ sef-uh-luh-pod ]

noun

any mollusk of the class Cephalopoda, having tentacles attached to the head, including the cuttlefish, squid, and octopus.

adjective

Also ceph·a·lo·pod·ic, ceph·a·lop·o·dous [sef-uh-lop-uh-duhs]. /ˌsɛf əˈlɒp ə dəs/. belonging or pertaining to the Cephalopoda.

Origin of cephalopod

1820–30; <New Latin Cephalopoda;see cephalo-, -pod

Words Nearby cephalopod

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

How to use cephalopod in a sentence

These little suckers aren’t the tentacles of one benign cephalopod, but rather many separate lamprey.
9 creatures that have made spookiness their brand | Elana Spivack | October 22, 2021 | Popular-Science
Another way of approaching the question is by considering cephalopods, especially octopuses.
What would it be like to be a conscious AI? We might never know. | Will Douglas Heaven | August 25, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
Since then, the myriad forms of vertebrate life—fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals among them—have developed their own kinds of mind along one branch, while cephalopods developed another.
What would it be like to be a conscious AI? We might never know. | Will Douglas Heaven | August 25, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
Despite the name, this animal isn’t technically a squid, but rather a cephalopod.
The Evolutionary Wonders in the Deep Sea - Issue 102: Hidden Truths | Annie Roth | June 30, 2021 | Nautilus
Just 29 hours after being hatched, the cephalopods were blasted into space, tucked away in small “aquarium bags.”
Dozens of baby squid are orbiting our planet right now | Monroe Hammond | June 23, 2021 | Popular-Science

Ramshorn, ramz′horn, n. a semicircular work of low profile in the ditch of a fortified place: an ammonite: a fossil cephalopod.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) | Various
It has been regarded as a plant, and as a cephalopod shell; but I believe it was a coral allied to Cystiphyllum.
The Story of the Earth and Man | J. W. Dawson
Dr. Dean thinks this more likely to be part of the axis of a cephalopod shell.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2) | David Starr Jordan
On the crab being devoured by the right species of cephalopod, the merozoites doubtless give rise to the sexual generation again.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 | Various
Forerunners of the great ammonite family of cephalopod mollusks now appear.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton

British Dictionary definitions for cephalopod

cephalopod

/ (ˈsɛfələˌpɒd) /

noun

any marine mollusc of the class Cephalopoda, characterized by well-developed head and eyes and a ring of sucker-bearing tentacles. The group also includes the octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and pearly nautilus

adjectiveAlso: cephalopodic, cephalopodous (ˌsɛfəˈlɒpədəs)

of, relating to, or belonging to the Cephalopoda

Derived forms of cephalopod

cephalopodan, adjective, noun

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 cephalopod

cephalopod

[ sĕf′ə-lə-pŏd′ ]

Any of various marine mollusks of the class Cephalopoda, having long tentacles around the mouth, a large head, a pair of large eyes, and a sharp beak. Cephalopods have the most highly developed nervous system of all invertebrates. Many cephalopods squirt a cloud of dark inky liquid to confuse predators. Cephalopods include the octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus, and the extinct ammonites, belemnites, and other nautiloids.

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