vibraculum

[vahy-brak-yuh-luh m]

noun, plural vi·brac·u·la

[vahy-brak-yuh-luh] /vaɪˈbræk yə lə/.

any of the modified polyps on the surface of certain bryozoan colonies, having a long, whiplike appendage that clears away debris.

Origin of vibraculum

1850–55; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin vibrā(re) to shake + -culum -cule²

Related formsvi·brac·u·lar, adjectivevi·brac·u·loid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for vibraculum

Historical Examples of vibraculum

Cells elongate, external side nearly straight, vibraculum sublateral, very prominent.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
Character: (B.) cells rhomboidal, sinuated on the outer side for the lodgment of a vibraculum.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
Opening of cell broad oval, pointed below; three short indistinct spines above; vibraculum large, sinus deep.
Narrative Of The Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By The Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During The Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries And Surveys In New Guinea, The Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. To Which Is Added The Account Of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition For The Exploration Of The Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist To The Expedition. In Two Volumes. Volume 1.
John MacGillivray
Vibraculum, vī-brak′ū-lum, n. one of the long whip-like appendages of the cells of some Polyzoa:—pl.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for vibraculum

vibraculum

noun plural -la (-lə)

zoology any of the specialized bristle-like polyps in certain bryozoans, the actions of which prevent parasites from settling on the colony

Derived Formsvibracular, adjectivevibraculoid, adjective

Word Origin for vibraculum

C19: from New Latin, from Latin vibrāre to brandish

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