ostracod

[os-truh-kod]

noun

seed shrimp.

Origin of ostracod

1860–65; < New Latin Ostracoda name of the subclass < Greek ostrakṓdēs, equivalent to óstrak(on) shell, tile (see ostracize) + -ōdēs -ode¹

Related formsos·tra·co·dan

[os-truh-kohd-n] /ˌɒs trəˈkoʊd n/, os·tra·co·dous, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for ostracod

Historical Examples of ostracod

The most beautiful examples of luminous secretions are found among the ostracod crustacea.
The Nature of Animal Light
E. Newton Harvey
From the superficial resemblance of the shell to that of an Ostracod, this is known as the cypris stage.
The Life of Crustacea
William Thomas Calman
Like the ostracod, the adult cirriped bears little external resemblance to the trilobite.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites
Percy Edward Raymond
Animals which do not adhere are generally those (such as ostracod crustacea) which have a hard integument without weak spots.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa
Nelson Annandale

British Dictionary definitions for ostracod

ostracod

noun

any minute crustacean of the mainly freshwater subclass Ostracoda, in which the body is enclosed in a transparent two-valved carapace

Derived Formsostracodan (ˌɒstrəˈkəʊdən) or ostracodous, adjective

Word Origin for ostracod

C19: via New Latin from Greek ostrakōdēs having a shell, from ostrakon shell

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