lorica

American  

[luh-rahy-kuh, law-, loh-] / ləˈraɪ kə, lɔ-, loʊ- /

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.

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lorica British  

/ ˈlɒrɪˌkeɪt, lɒˈraɪkə /

noun

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

2. an ancient Roman cuirass of leather or metal

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Other Word Forms

• loricate adjective

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

The entire body is covered with cilia, but as the lorica is always opaque these can be made out only when the animal is induced to leave the house.

From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)

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

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

The animals are similarly fastened to the lorica, sometimes directly, sometimes by means of a short stalk.

From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)

An old dictionary which Byron might have consulted, Vocabolario Italiano-Latino, Venice, 1794, gives thorax, lorica, as the Latin equivalent of "Usbergo = armadura del busto, corazza."

From The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 4 by Coleridge, Ernest Hartley

Medium-sized ciliates, inclosed in a chitinous lorica with embedded sand crystals.

From Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 21:415-468, 1901 by Calkins, Gary N. (Gary Nathan)