clitellum

[ klahy-tel-uhm ]

/ klaɪˈtɛl əm /

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noun, plural cli·tel·la

[klahy-tel-uh]. /klaɪˈtɛl ə/.

a ring or saddle-shaped region of glandular tissue in the body wall of certain annelids, as earthworms and some leeches, that after copulation secretes a cocoon in which the eggs and sperm are deposited for fertilization and development.

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Origin of clitellum

1830–40; <New Latin, neuter noun based on Latin clītellae packsaddle

Words nearby clitellum

Clisthenes, clistocarpous, clistothecium, clit, Clite, clitellum, clithral, clitic, cliticize, clitoridectomy, clitoris

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use clitellum in a sentence

Clitellum always present, extending over two (many limicolous forms) to forty-five segments (Alma).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7|Various
Clitellum generally only two or three segments and more anterior in position than in Terricolae.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7|Various
Clitellum commonly extensive and more posterior in position than in other groups.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7|Various
Clitellum, kli-tel′um, n. the saddle of an annelid, as the earthworm:—pl.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various

Clitellum not present as a definite organ, as in Oligochaeta.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for clitellum

clitellum

/ (klɪˈtɛləm) /

noun plural -la (-lə)

a thickened saddle-like region of epidermis in earthworms and leeches whose secretions bind copulating worms together and later form a cocoon around the eggs

Word Origin for clitellum

C19: from New Latin, from Latin clītellae (plural) packsaddle

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