pecten

[pek-tuhn]

noun

plural

pectens, pectines 

1. Zoology, Anatomy.

   1. a comblike part or process.

   2. a pigmented vascular membrane with parallel folds suggesting the teeth of a comb, projecting into the vitreous humor of the eye in birds and reptiles.

2. any bivalve mollusk of the genus Pecten; scallop.

pecten

/ ˈpɛktɪn /

noun

1. a comblike structure in the eye of birds and reptiles, consisting of a network of blood vessels projecting inwards from the retina, which it is thought to supply with oxygen

2. any other comblike part or organ

3. any scallop of the genus Pecten, which swim by expelling water from their shell valves in a series of snapping motions

Word History and Origins

Origin of pecten¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pecten comb, rake, scallop, pubes, akin to pectere, Greek pékein to comb, card

Word History and Origins

Origin of pecten¹

C18: from Latin: a comb, from pectere, related to Greek pekein to comb

Example Sentences

For a paper published today in the journal Science, researchers used a few different microscope techniques to get a detailed view of how the king scallop, or Pecten maximus, is able to see.

From The Verge

As a 16-year-old, he joined the Merchant Navy and found himself a place as a deck cadet aboard the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company's ship, the Pecten.

From BBC

Pecten vitreus, in Eagle Bay, 37.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the Linn�an genus, Ostrea, there are many sorts, on all parts of the coast, both east and west, but they are what we call the pecten or scollop.

From Project Gutenberg

Pecten, pek′ten, n. a genus of molluscs, one species of which is the scallop—so called from the valves having ribs radiating from the umbo to the margin like a comb: a membrane on the eyes of birds.—adjs.

From Project Gutenberg