nauplius

[ naw-plee-uhs ]

/ ˈnɔ pli əs /

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noun, plural nau·pli·i

[naw-plee-ahy]. /ˈnɔ pliˌaɪ/.

(in many crustaceans) a larval form with three pairs of appendages and a single median eye, occurring usually as the first stage of development after leaving the egg.

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Origin of nauplius

1830–40; <Latin: a kind of shellfish

OTHER WORDS FROM nauplius

nau·pli·al, nau·pli·form, nau·pli·oid, adjective

Words nearby nauplius

naughty nineties, naughty step, naumachia, naumachy, naumannite, nauplius, Nauru, Nauruan, nausea, nausea anesthesia, nauseant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nauplius in a sentence

The three pairs of appendages of the nauplius larva (the future first and second antennae and mandibles).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various
The Nauplius at this stage gives rise to another larva form, the so-called Zoëa, which is of great importance.
The History of Creation, Vol. II (of 2)|Ernst Haeckel
But of all living crabs the Phyllopods are the most closely allied to the original primary form of the Nauplius.
The History of Creation, Vol. II (of 2)|Ernst Haeckel
One of the as yet unexplained features of the protaspis of trilobites is the absence of the "nauplius eye."
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites|Percy Edward Raymond

The development, although modified by the early appearance of the bivalved shell within which the nauplius lies, is direct.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites|Percy Edward Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for nauplius

nauplius

/ (ˈnɔːplɪəs) /

noun plural -plii (-plɪˌaɪ)

the larva of many crustaceans, having a rounded unsegmented body with three pairs of limbs

Word Origin for nauplius

C19: from Latin: type of shellfish, from Greek Nauplios, one of the sons of Poseidon

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