lorica

[luh-rahy-kuh, law-, loh-]

noun

plural

loricae 

1. Zoology.,  a hard protective case or sheath, as the protective coverings secreted by certain protists.

2. a cuirass or corselet, originally of leather.

lorica

/ ˈlɒrɪˌkeɪt, lɒˈraɪkə /

noun

1. the hard outer covering of rotifers, ciliate protozoans, and similar organisms

2. an ancient Roman cuirass of leather or metal

Other Word Forms

• loricate adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lorica¹

1700–10; lorica ( def. 1 ) < New Latin, special use of Latin lōrīca corselet (originally of leather), akin to lōrum thong; lorica ( def. 2 ) < Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of lorica¹

C18: from New Latin, from Latin: leather cuirass; related to lōrum thong

Example Sentences

Neither can the cylindrical jar or bottle be justly deemed to occupy the position of the lorica, or carapace which we have before described.

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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.

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It was an early term for short coats, jackets, and a sort of coat-of-mail or defensive lorica, or upper garment.

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The animal is attached, as in the closely allied genus Tintinnus, by a peduncle to the bottom of the lorica.

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The tube of the Œcistes is called a "lorica," or carapace; but it has in truth no right whatever to the appellation.

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