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swimmeret

[ swim-uh-ret ]
/ ˈswɪm əˌrɛt /
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noun
(in many crustaceans) one of a number of abdominal limbs or appendages, usually adapted for swimming and for carrying eggs, as distinguished from other limbs adapted for walking or seizing.
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Origin of swimmeret

1830–40; swimmer + -et
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for swimmeret

swimmeret
/ (ˈswɪməˌrɛt) /

noun
any of the small paired appendages on the abdomen of crustaceans, used chiefly in locomotion and reproductionAlso called: pleopod

Word Origin for swimmeret

C19: from swim + -er 1 + -et
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

Scientific definitions for swimmeret

swimmeret
[ swĭm′ə-rĕt′ ]

One of the paired abdominal appendages of certain aquatic crustaceans, such as shrimp, lobsters, and isopods. Swimmerets are normally found on the first five abdominal segments and typically terminate in paired oarlike branches. They function primarily for carrying the eggs in females and are usually adapted for swimming. Also called pleopod
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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