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epiphragm
[ ep-uh-fram ]
/ ˈɛp əˌfræm /
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noun
a calcified or membranous septum produced by certain land snails during hibernation and functioning to cover the shell opening and prevent desiccation.
Botany. a membrane enclosing the capsule in certain mosses.
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Origin of epiphragm
OTHER WORDS FROM epiphragm
ep·i·phrag·mal [ep-uh-frag-muhl], /ˌɛp əˈfræg məl/, adjectiveWords nearby epiphragm
epiphenomenalism, epiphenomenon, epiphloedal, epiphonema, epiphora, epiphragm, epiphylaxis, epiphyll, epiphyllous, epiphyllum, epiphysis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for epiphragm
epiphragm
/ (ˈɛpɪˌfræm) /
noun
a disc of calcium phosphate and mucilage secreted by snails over the aperture of their shells before hibernation
Word Origin for epiphragm
C19: via New Latin from Greek epiphragma a lid, from epiphrassein, from epi- + phrassein to place in an enclosure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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