brachiopod

American  

[brey-kee-uh-pod, brak-ee-] / ˈbreɪ ki əˌpɒd, ˈbræk i- /

noun

1. any mollusklike, marine animal of the phylum Brachiopoda, having a dorsal and ventral shell; a lamp shell.

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adjective

1. Also brachiopodous belonging or pertaining to the Brachiopoda.

brachiopod British  

/ ˈbreɪkɪəˌpɒd, ˈbræk- /

noun

1. Also called: lamp shell.  any marine invertebrate animal of the phylum Brachiopoda , having a ciliated feeding organ (lophophore) and a shell consisting of dorsal and ventral valves See also bryozoan

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brachiopod Scientific  

/ brā′kē-ə-pŏd′ /

1. Any of various marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Brachiopoda that resemble clams. Brachiopods have paired upper and lower shells attached to a usually stationary stalk and hollow tentacles covered with cilia that sweep food particles into the mouth. Brachiopods are probably related to the phoronids and bryozoans, and were extremely abundant throughout the Paleozoic Era.

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Etymology

Origin of brachiopod

From the New Latin word Brachiopoda, dating back to 1830–40. See brachio-, -pod

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brachiopod

"This is why we eat clam chowder and we don't eat brachiopod chowder," Sperling said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Today, only about 400 brachiopod species remain, while an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 species of bivalves exist.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

As researchers recently proposed in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, the collapse of the brachiopod empire exemplifies a struggle that has defined life from the start: the quest for phosphorus.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2022

“It would be very difficult to convince someone of that if it’s a brachiopod, but T. rex takes it to another level.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022

The two valves of the brachiopod shell are unequal in size, and in each valve a line drawn from the beak to the base divides the valve into two equal parts.

From The Elements of Geology by Norton, William Harmon