pteropod

American  

[ter-uh-pod] / ˈtɛr əˌpɒd /

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Pteropoda, a group of mollusks having the lateral portions of the foot expanded into winglike lobes used in swimming.

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noun

1. a pteropod mollusk.

pteropod British  

/ ˈtɛrəˌpɒd /

noun

1. Also called: sea butterfly.  any small marine gastropod mollusc of the group or order Pteropoda, in which the foot is expanded into two winglike lobes for swimming and the shell is absent or thin-walled

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Etymology

Origin of pteropod

1825–35; < New Latin Pteropoda (plural); see ptero-, -pod