ostracod

[ os-truh-kod ]

/ ˈɒs trəˌkɒd /

Save This Word!

noun

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ostracod

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ostracod

os·tra·co·dan

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

Words nearby ostracod

ostosis, Ostpolitik, Ostpreussen, ostracism, ostracize, ostracod, ostracoderm, ostracon, ostrakon, ostranenie, Ostrava

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ostracod in a sentence

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
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
The most beautiful examples of luminous secretions are found among the ostracod crustacea.
The Nature of Animal Light|E. Newton Harvey

British Dictionary definitions for ostracod

ostracod

/ (ˈɒstrəˌkɒd) /

noun

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

Derived forms of ostracod

ostracodan (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