spinule

[ spahy-nyool, spin-yool ]

/ ˈspaɪ nyul, ˈspɪn yul /

noun Zoology, Botany.

a small spine.

Nearby words

spinozism, spinproof, spinster, spinthariscope, spinto, spinule, spinulose, spiny, spiny anteater, spiny cocklebur, spiny dogfish

Origin of spinule

From the Latin word spīnula, dating back to 1745–55. See spine, -ule

Related formsspin·u·lose

[spin-yuh-lohs, spahy-nyuh-] /ˈspɪn yəˌloʊs, ˈspaɪ nyə-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spinule

This process has been one of time: the adhesion of the "spinule" took place in about sixteen hours after its escape from the egg.
Omphalos|Philip Henry Gosse

British Dictionary definitions for spinule

spinule

/ (ˈspaɪnjuːl) /

noun

biology a very small spine, thorn, or prickle

Derived Formsspinulose (ˈspaɪnjʊˌləʊs), adjective

Word Origin for spinule

C18: from Late Latin spīnula

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