ctenophore

[ ten-uh-fawr, -fohr, tee-nuh- ]

noun

any gelatinous marine invertebrate of the phylum Ctenophora; a comb jelly.

Origin of ctenophore

From the New Latin word ctenophorus, dating back to 1880–85. See cteno-, -phore

Words Nearby ctenophore

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

How to use ctenophore in a sentence

The researchers used the cameras to scan at least two unnamed creatures, a new ctenophore and siphonophore.
The cameras that capture fragile deep-sea jellies in their element | Elizabeth Anne Brown | March 10, 2022 | MIT Technology Review
When hatched, the little ctenophore is already quite advanced.
Seaside Studies in Natural History | Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz

British Dictionary definitions for ctenophore

ctenophore

/ (ˈtɛnəˌfɔː, ˈtiːnə-) /

noun

any marine invertebrate of the phylum Ctenophora, including the sea gooseberry and Venus's-girdle, whose body bears eight rows of fused cilia, for locomotion: Also called: comb jelly

Origin of ctenophore

C19: from New Latin ctenophorus, from Greek kteno-, kteis comb + -phore

Derived forms of ctenophore

ctenophoran (tɪˈnɒfərən), 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 ctenophore

ctenophore

[ tĕn′ə-fôr′ ]

Any of various, mostly small marine invertebrates of the phylum Ctenophora, having transparent, gelatinous bodies bearing eight rows of comblike cilia. Ctenophores have a branched digestive tract that also has circulatory function. Most ctenophores feed on plankton and are bioluminescent, producing brilliant displays of blue or green light at night. Ctenophores are related to cnidarians but are more highly evolved because their bodies have a true mesoderm. Also called comb jelly

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