telson

[ tel-suh n ]

/ ˈtɛl sən /

noun

the last segment, or an appendage of the last segment, of certain arthropods, as the middle flipper of a lobster's tail.

Nearby words

telophase, telos, telotaxis, telpher, telpherage, telson, telsonic, telsontail, telstar, telugu, telukbetung

Origin of telson

First recorded in 1850–55, telson is from the Greek word télson boundary, limit

Related formstel·son·ic

[tel-son-ik] /tɛlˈsɒn ɪk/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for telson

Telson, tel′son, n. the last somite of the pleon or abdomen of certain crustaceans and arachnidans.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
From the posterior end of the heart arises the dorsal abdominal artery, running back to the telson.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition|Vernon L. Kellogg
The abdominal somites have a row of spines down the middle of the back, and the telson has a forked shape.
The Life of Crustacea|William Thomas Calman
“Have some more cake, Telson,” said he, by way of changing the subject.
The Willoughby Captains|Talbot Baines Reed

Telson and Parson looked at one another and groaned inwardly.
The Willoughby Captains|Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for telson

telson

/ (ˈtɛlsən) /

noun

the last segment or an appendage on the last segment of the body of crustaceans and arachnids

Derived Formstelsonic (tɛlˈsɒnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for telson

C19: from Greek: a boundary; probably related to telos end

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

Word Origin and History for telson

telson

1855, from Greek telson "a limit" (see tele-).