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ostracod

American  
[os-truh-kod] / ˈɒs trəˌkɒd /

noun

  1. seed shrimp.


ostracod British  
/ ˈɒstrəˌkɒd /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of ostracod

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

See Examples For:

That is 273 million years earlier than the glowing ostracod crustaceans that previously held the title of earliest evolution of bioluminescence in animals.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024

The ostracod genome is longer than our own and has repetitive regions and other complexities that make it challenging to sequence from single specimens snared at sea.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 24, 2022

The group also began to tease apart relationships among ostracod species.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 24, 2022

The team of researchers set about studying 93 species of extinct ostracod, featured in a recent study published in Nature.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2018

Seventy million years ago, in a warm shallow sea, swam an ostracod — a tiny bean-shaped creature, no bigger than a grain of sand.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2018

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