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nauplius

[naw-plee-uh s]
noun, plural nau·pli·i [naw-plee-ahy] /ˈnɔ pliˌaɪ/.
  1. (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
Related formsnau·pli·al, nau·pli·form, nau·pli·oid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nauplius

Historical Examples

  • The young barnacle, called a nauplius, in no way resembles the adult.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

    Augusta Foote Arnold

  • And after him Erginus and Nauplius and Euphemus started up, eager to steer.

    The Argonautica

    Apollonius Rhodius

  • It is evident that the Leptus fundamentally differs from the Nauplius and begins life on a higher plane.

    Our Common Insects

    Alpheus Spring Packard

  • A different name even is given to it by the biologist, who knows it at this period as a Nauplius.

  • But instead of rising to its opportunities, the sacculine Nauplius having reached a certain point turned back.

British Dictionary definitions for nauplius

nauplius

noun plural -plii (-plɪˌaɪ)
  1. the larva of many crustaceans, having a rounded unsegmented body with three pairs of limbs
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Word Origin

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