Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

nudibranch

American  
[noo-duh-brangk, nyoo-] / ˈnu dəˌbræŋk, ˈnyu- /

noun

  1. a shell-less, marine snail of the suborder Nudibranchia, having external, often branched respiratory appendages on the back and sides.

nudibranch British  
/ ˈnjuːdɪˌbræŋk /

noun

  1. Also called: sea slug.  any marine gastropod of the order Nudibranchia, characterized by a shell-less, often beautifully coloured, body bearing external gills and other appendages

"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
nudibranch Scientific  
/ no̅o̅′də-brăngk′ /

  1. See sea slug

Etymology

Origin of nudibranch

1835–45; < French nudibranche, equivalent to nudi- nudi- + branche gill (< Latin branchia branchia )

Vocabulary lists containing nudibranch

Marine Biology - High School

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The mystery mollusk is the first known nudibranch to live in a deep-water column, specifically in the ocean’s midnight zone — open water about 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the surface.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

Enrico Somogyi won Compact, with a photo of a nudibranch sea slug with a emperor shrimp on its head, in Tulamben, on the north-east coast of Bali, Indonesia.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024

This gorgeous little nudibranch of just 2.3 inches long is packed with surprises.

From National Geographic • Feb. 7, 2024

Giant groupers flourish among the rocks, a psychedelic purple nudibranch sea slug clings to an outcrop, and a pair of rays skate along the undisturbed sandy bottom.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2022

This beautiful nudibranch was first found near Laguna by Miss M. Cate, not far from Dana's point in 1916.

From Journal of Entomology and Zoology Volume Eleven, Number Two, June 1919 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.