scopula

[ skop-yuh-luh ]

noun,plural scop·u·las, scop·u·lae [skop-yuh-lee]. /ˈskɒp yəˌli/. Zoology.
  1. a dense tuft of hairs, as on the feet of certain spiders.

Origin of scopula

1
1795–1805; <New Latin scōpula,Latin: a broom twig, equivalent to scōp(a) broom + -ula-ule

Words Nearby scopula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scopula in a sentence

  • This takes the form of a pad of curiously modified hairs, called a scopula.

    Spiders | Cecil Warburton

British Dictionary definitions for scopula

scopula

/ (ˈskɒpjʊlə) /


nounplural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)
  1. a small tuft of dense hairs on the legs and chelicerae of some spiders

Origin of scopula

1
C19: from Late Latin: a broom-twig, from scōpa thin twigs

Derived forms of scopula

  • scopulate (ˈskɒpjʊˌleɪt, -lɪt), adjective

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