nauplius

[ naw-plee-uh s ]

/ ˈnɔ pli əs /

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.

Nearby words

naughty nineties, naughty step, naumachia, naumachy, naumannite, nauplius, nauru, nauruan, nausea, nausea anesthesia, nausea gravidarum

Origin of nauplius

1830–40; < Latin: a kind of shellfish

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nauplius

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
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 form of the Phyllopods is marked by several definite peculiarities.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The free larval stages when such exist commence with a larval form known as the Nauplius.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

The parthenogenetic eggs, as in other Cladocera, develop directly, but the resting eggs give rise to larv of the nauplius type.
The Life of Crustacea|William Thomas Calman

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