nautilus

[ nawt-l-uh s, not- ]
/ ˈnɔt l əs, ˈnɒt- /

noun, plural nau·ti·lus·es, nau·ti·li [nawt-l-ahy, not-] /ˈnɔt lˌaɪ, ˈnɒt-/ for 1, 2.

Also called chambered nautilus, pearly nautilus. any cephalopod of the genus Nautilus, having a spiral, chambered shell with pearly septa.
paper nautilus.
(initial capital letter) the first nuclear-powered submarine launched by the U.S. Navy.

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Origin of nautilus

1595–1605; < Latin < Greek nautílos paper nautilus, literally, sailor, derivative of naûs ship; the webbed dorsal arms of the paper nautilus were thought to have been used as sails

Words nearby nautilus

nautes, nautical, nautical day, nautical mile, nautiloid, nautilus, nautophone, nav, nav., nav. arch., nav. e.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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British Dictionary definitions for nautilus

nautilus
/ (ˈnɔːtɪləs) /

noun plural -luses or -li (-ˌlaɪ)

any cephalopod mollusc of the genus Nautilus, esp the pearly nautilus
short for paper nautilus

Word Origin for nautilus

C17: via Latin from Greek nautilos sailor, from naus ship
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