tergum

[ tur-guh m ]

/ ˈtɜr gəm /

noun, plural ter·ga [tur-guh] /ˈtɜr gə/. Zoology.

the dorsal surface of a body segment of an arthropod.

Nearby words

terf, terfel, tergal, tergite, tergiversate, tergum, terhune, teriyaki, term, term day, term infant

Origin of tergum

1820–30; < Latin: the back

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

Examples from the Web for terga

Terga, large, nearly equalling the scuta in area, flat and sub-triangular; the scutal margin is not quite straight.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)|Charles Darwin
The umbo projects a little over the scutal margin of the terga.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)|Charles Darwin
All the valves, even in the same species, are subject to considerable variation in shape, more especially the terga.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)|Charles Darwin
Basal margin nearly on a level with that of the scuta and with the basal points of the terga.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2)|Charles Darwin

Terga extremely narrow, linear, consisting in chief part of the spur, which is fully four fifths of the entire length.
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 2 of 2)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for terga

tergum

/ (ˈtɜːɡəm) /

noun plural -ga (-ɡə)

a cuticular plate covering the dorsal surface of a body segment of an arthropodCompare sternum (def. 3)

Derived Forms

tergal, adjective

Word Origin for tergum

C19: from Latin: the back

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