nautilus
[ nawt-l-uhs, not- ]
/ ˈnɔt l əs, ˈnɒt- /
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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.
(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, Navaho, navaid, Navajo
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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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
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