spicule

[ spik-yool ]

/ ˈspɪk yul /

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noun

a small or minute, slender, sharp-pointed body or part; a small, needlelike crystal, process, or the like.

Zoology. one of the small, hard, calcareous or siliceous bodies that serve as the skeletal elements of various marine and freshwater invertebrates.

Astronomy. a jet of gas several hundred miles in diameter rising from the sun's surface to heights of 3,000 to 6,000 miles (4,800 to 9,600 km).

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Origin of spicule

First recorded in 1775–85; from Latin spīculum “spearhead, arrowhead, bee stinger,” equivalent to spīc(a) “ear of grain” + -ulum diminutive suffix; see spica, -ule

Words nearby spicule

spicewood, spick-and-span, spicula, spiculate, spiculation, spicule, spiculum, spicy, spide, spider, spider-burst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spicule in a sentence

Although some sponges have an internal skeleton made of microscopic mineralized rods called spicules, no convincing spicules have been found in rocks dating from the interval of hidden early animal evolution.
Animal Evolution: Fossil Discovery Hints First Animals Lived Nearly 900 Million Years Ago|Elizabeth C. Turner|October 31, 2021|Singularity Hub
Turner argues that many modern sponges don’t have spicules and that the newly described fossils may be similar.
If confirmed, tubes in 890-million-year-old rock may be the oldest animal fossils|Jake Buehler|July 28, 2021|Science News
The spores soon become free, but the spicule often still adheres to them; but they are not attached to the intermingled filaments.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
Spiraster, spī-ras′tėr, n. in sponges, a short curved axial rod-like spicule with thick spines.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

Spic′ūlum, a spicule; Spike′bill, a merganser, a sawbill: the marbled godwit.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
The contents may be clear yellow serum or watery pus; sometimes a small spicule of bone is discharged.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
The spicule thus resembles a little trumpet resting on its mouth.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa|Nelson Annandale

British Dictionary definitions for spicule

spicule

/ (ˈspɪkjuːl) /

noun

Also called: spiculum a small slender pointed structure or crystal, esp any of the calcareous or siliceous elements of the skeleton of sponges, corals, etc

astronomy a spiked ejection of hot gas occurring over 5000 kilometres above the sun's surface (in its atmosphere) and having a diameter of about 1000 kilometres

Derived forms of spicule

spiculate (ˈspɪkjʊˌleɪt, -lɪt), adjective

Word Origin for spicule

C18: from Latin: spiculum

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

Medical definitions for spicule

spicule

[ spĭk′yōōl ]

n. pl. spic•ules

A needlelike structure or part.

Other words from spicule

spic′u•lar (-yə-lər) null adj.

Scientific definitions for spicule

spicule

[ spĭk′yōōl ]

A needlelike structure or part, such as one of the mineral structures supporting the soft tissue of certain invertebrates, especially sponges.

Any of numerous short-lived vertical jets of hot gas rising from the solar chromosphere and extending into the corona. Spicules, which only last for about five to ten minutes, are usually several hundred kilometers wide and several thousand kilometers high.