radula

[ raj-oo-luh ]

noun,plural rad·u·lae [raj-oo-lee]. /ˈrædʒ ʊˌli/.
  1. a chitinous band in the mouth of most mollusks, set with numerous, minute, horny teeth and drawn backward and forward over the floor of the mouth in the process of breaking up food.

Origin of radula

1
1745–55; <New Latin rādula,Latin: scraper, equivalent to rād(ere) to scrape, rub + -ula-ule

Other words from radula

  • rad·u·lar, adjective
  • sub·rad·u·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use radula in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for radula

radula

/ (ˈrædjʊlə) /


nounplural -lae (-ˌliː)
  1. a horny tooth-bearing strip on the tongue of molluscs that is used for rasping food

Origin of radula

1
C19: from Late Latin: a scraping iron, from Latin rādere to scrape

Derived forms of radula

  • radular, adjective

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