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holothurian

[hol-uh-thoo r-ee-uh n, hoh-luh-]
noun
  1. any echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, comprising the sea cucumbers.
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adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the Holothuroidea.
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Also hol·o·thu·ri·oid [hol-uh-thoo r-ee-oid] /ˌhɒl əˈθʊər iˌɔɪd/.

Origin of holothurian

1835–45; < New Latin Holothuri(a) genus name (plural of Latin holothūrium < Greek holothoúrion kind of zoophyte, equivalent to holo- holo- + -thourion < ?) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for holothurian

Historical Examples

  • The Holothurian of our coast, excelling all the rest in beauty, is the Cuvieria.

    Seaside Studies in Natural History

    Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz

  • The perforation so formed, becomes the micropyle of the Holothurian egg, which was first discovered by Joh.

British Dictionary definitions for holothurian

holothurian

noun
  1. any echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, including the sea cucumbers, having a leathery elongated body with a ring of tentacles around the mouth
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Holothuroidea
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Word Origin

C19: from New Latin Holothūria name of type genus, from Latin: water polyp, from Greek holothourion, of obscure origin
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
holothurian in Science

holothurian

[hŏl′ə-thur′ē-ən, hō′lə-]
  1. Any of various echinoderms of the class Holothuroidea, characterized by elongated bodies with tentacles around the mouth and five rows of tube feet. Holothurians are softer than other echinoderms because they lack spines and the skeleton is greatly reduced. Holothurians can extrude their internal organs to distract predators and grow a new set within a few weeks. Also called sea cucumber
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.