tunicate

American  

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

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

See Examples For:

tunicate

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

It was therefore likely that the ancestral tunicate still underwent metamorphosis and had a sessile adult stage before the gene losses that resulted in a new type of heart, the researchers argued.

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

Bulbs, such as a scaly bulb in lilies and a tunicate bulb in daffodils, are other common examples.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

But we will pass over these cases in order to dwell more particularly on the remarkable tunicate known as Pyrosoma, a name indicative of its phosphorescent property, being derived from two Greek words signifying fire-body.

From Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky by Edward Singleton Holden