opisthobranch

[uh-pis-thuh-brangk]

noun

any gastropod mollusk of the order Opisthobranchia, as the sea slugs, sea butterflies, and sea hares, characterized by a vestigial or absent mantle and shell and two pairs of tentacles.

adjective

of or relating to the opisthobranches.

Also o·pis·tho·bran·chi·ate

[uh-pis-thuh-brang-kee-it, -eyt] /əˌpɪs θəˈbræŋ ki ɪt, -ˌeɪt/.

Origin of opisthobranch

1850–55; < New Latin Opisthobranchia the subclass; see opistho-, branchia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for opisthobranch

Historical Examples of opisthobranch

C, Diblastula of an Opisthobranch (Polycera) with elongated blastopore oi.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5
Various

British Dictionary definitions for opisthobranch

opisthobranch

noun

any marine gastropod of the class Opisthobranchia (or Opisthobranchiata), in which the shell is reduced or absent: includes the pteropods, sea hares, and nudibranchs

Word Origin for opisthobranch

via New Latin from Greek opisthen behind + -branch

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