lorica
Americannoun
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loricae
plural
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Zoology. a hard protective case or sheath, as the protective coverings secreted by certain protists.
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a cuirass or corselet, originally of leather.
noun
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the hard outer covering of rotifers, ciliate protozoans, and similar organisms
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an ancient Roman cuirass of leather or metal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lorica
1700–10; lorica ( def. 1 ) < New Latin, special use of Latin lōrīca corselet (originally of leather), akin to lōrum thong; lorica ( def. 2 ) < Latin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When they contract they draw back to the bottom of the lorica; when expanded they usually stretch out of the mouth opening.
From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Gary N. (Gary Nathan) Calkins
Think of this champion, who devotes his body for us—this dauntless gladiator going to do battle alone in the darkness, with no other armor than a light helmet of cotton, and a lorica of calico.
From Roundabout Papers by William Makepeace Thackeray
He wore the armour of a Roman centurion—a lorica or cuirass, made of plates of bronze, fastened to a flexible body of leather; and cothurni, or a sort of laced boots, leaching to mid-leg.
From Valeria The Martyr of the Catacombs by William Henry Withrow
Neither can the cylindrical jar or bottle be justly deemed to occupy the position of the lorica, or carapace which we have before described.
From Marvels of Pond-life A Year's Microscopic Recreations by Henry J. Slack
The lorica is swollen posteriorly, narrowest at the oral margin, bent on its axis and is supported on a short stalk.
From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Gary N. (Gary Nathan) Calkins
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