n.
Pronunciation: ' no ̇ -pl ē - ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -plii \ -pl ē - ˌ ī , - ˌ ē \
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, a shellfish, from Greek nauplios
Date: 1836
: a crustacean larva in usually the first stage after leaving the egg and with three pairs of appendages, a median eye, and little or no segmentation