limulus

[lim-yuh-luhs]

noun

plural

limuli 

1. a crab of the genus Limulus; horseshoe crab.

limulus

/ ˈlɪmjʊləs /

noun

1. any horseshoe crab of the genus Limulus, esp L. polyphemus

Word History and Origins

Origin of limulus¹

First recorded in 1830–40; from New Latin Limulus, name of the genus, special use of Latin līmulus, from līm(us) “askew, aslant” + -ulus -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of limulus¹

C19: from New Latin (name of genus), from Latin līmus sidelong

Example Sentences

The horseshoe crabs are valuable because their blood can be manufactured into limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL, that is used to detect pathogens in indispensable medicines such as injectable antibiotics.

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Dr. Bicknell and his colleagues compared this ancient brain structure with that of Limulus polyphemus, a horseshoe crab species still found along the Atlantic coast, and noticed remarkable similarity.

Read more on New York Times

Last summer, as coronavirus infection rates continued to rise, a group of researchers from Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer and Roche-Genentechpublished a research report that compared the two products — limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL, which is made from horseshoe crab blood, and the synthetic product, called recombinant Factor C assay, or rFC.

Read more on Washington Post

The copper-based blood of the horseshoe crab contains the most sensitive indicator of bacteria ever discovered, limulus amoebocyte lysate.

Read more on The Guardian

When it’s over, the beach is littered with the helmet-shaped carcasses of Limulus polyphemus and trillions of its greenish eggs.

Read more on Washington Post