cladoceran

[kluh-dos-er-uh n]

noun

any or several small, transparent crustaceans of the order Cladocera, having the body covered by a bivalve shell from which the head and antennae extend.

adjective

Also cla·doc·er·ous

[kluh-dos-er-uh s] /kləˈdɒs ər əs/. belonging or pertaining to the Cladocera.

Origin of cladoceran

1905–10; < New Latin Cladocer(a) (clado- clado- + -cera, neuter plural of -cerus horned; see cero-) + -an

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

British Dictionary definitions for cladoceran

cladoceran

noun

any minute freshwater crustacean of the order Cladocera, which includes the water fleas

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Cladocera

Word Origin for cladoceran

C19: from New Latin Cladocera, from Greek klados shoot + keras horn

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