osculum

American  

[os-kyuh-luhm] / ˈɒs kyə ləm /

noun

oscula plural

1. a small mouthlike aperture, as of a sponge.

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osculum British  

/ ˈɒskjʊləm /

noun

1. zoology a mouthlike aperture, esp the opening in a sponge out of which water passes

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• oscula
  plural

Etymology

Origin of osculum

1605–15; < New Latin, Latin ōsculum, equivalent to ōs mouth + -culum -cule ¹

Example Sentences

In addition to the osculum, sponges have multiple pores called ostia on their bodies that allow water to enter the sponge.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Oocytes arise by the differentiation of amoebocytes and are retained within the spongocoel, whereas spermatozoa result from the differentiation of choanocytes and are ejected via the osculum.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Water exits through a top opening called an osculum.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Early larval development occurs within the sponge, and free-swimming larvae are then released via the osculum.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

In a diagram of a long section of a simple sponge identify the central cavity, body walls, canals, inhalent pores, ostia, and osculum.

From A Guide for the Study of Animals by Lucas, Frederic