scopula

[ skop-yuh-luh ]

noun

, Zoology.

, plural scop·u·las, scop·u·lae [skop, -y, uh, -lee].

1. a dense tuft of hairs, as on the feet of certain spiders.

scopula

/ -lɪt; ˈskɒpjʊlə; ˈskɒpjʊˌleɪt /

noun

1. a small tuft of dense hairs on the legs and chelicerae of some spiders

Derived Forms

• scopulate, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scopula¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of scopula¹

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

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg