tunicate

American  

[too-ni-kit, -keyt, tyoo-] / ˈtu nɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt, ˈtyu- /

noun

1. Zoology. any sessile marine chordate of the subphylum Tunicata (Urochordata), having a saclike body enclosed in a thick membrane or tunic and two openings or siphons for the ingress and egress of water.

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adjective

1. (especially of the Tunicata) having a tunic or covering.

2. of or relating to the tunicates.

3. Botany. having or consisting of a series of concentric layers, as a bulb.

tunicate British  

/ -ˌkeɪt, ˈtjuːnɪkɪt /

noun

1. any minute primitive marine chordate animal of the subphylum Tunicata (or Urochordata, Urochorda ). The adults have a saclike unsegmented body enclosed in a cellulose-like outer covering (tunic) and only the larval forms have a notochord: includes the sea squirts See also ascidian

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the subphylum Tunicata

2. (esp of a bulb) having or consisting of concentric layers of tissue

tunicate Scientific  

/ to̅o̅′nĭ-kĭt /

1. Any of various primitive marine chordate animals of the subphylum Tunicata, having a rounded or cylindrical body that is enclosed in a tough outer covering. Tunicates start out life as free-swimming, tadpolelike animals with a notochord (a primitive backbone), but many, such as the sea squirts, lose the notochord and most of their nervous system as adults and become fixed to rocks or other objects. Tunicates often form colonies.

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Etymology

Origin of tunicate

First recorded in 1615–25, tunicate is from the Latin word tunicātus wearing a tunic. See tunic, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

The team eventually settled on three possibilities: a soft species of coral, a sea sponge or a marine invertebrate called a tunicate.

From Washington Times • Sep. 6, 2022

Even if the ancestral tunicate remains a mystery, Oikopleura demonstrates that when genes go missing, their absence can sometimes lead to evolutionary innovations, such as this creature’s baroque but ultimately successful way of life.

From Scientific American • Feb. 3, 2022

A synthetic version of a compound from the Caribbean tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata is approved for treating some cancers.Credit:

From Nature • Mar. 26, 2020

Illustration C shows an adult tunicate, which resembles a tree stump anchored to the bottom.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

But if we make a jump, say to the tunicate mollusks, we see no reason there to infer the existence of consciousness at all.

From An Introduction to Philosophy by Fullerton, George Stuart