Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

osculum

American  
[os-kyuh-luhm] / ˈɒs kyə ləm /

noun

plural

oscula

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

osculum British  
/ ˈɒskjʊləm /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of osculum

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

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.

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

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Their food is trapped when water passes through the ostia and out through the osculum.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

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

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

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Ierusalem interpretatur uisio pacis ⁊ item significat ecclesiam. in qua pax uera uidetur. dum passio xristi recolitur. et pacis osculum datur.

From Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250 Part I: Texts by Hall, Joseph

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.