OPERCULUM


Meaning of OPERCULUM in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ō-ˈpər-kyə-ləm ]

noun

( plural oper·cu·la -lə ; also -lums )

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, cover, from operire to shut, cover

Date: 1681

1. : a body process or part that suggests a lid: as

a. : a horny or shelly plate on the posterior dorsal surface of the foot in many gastropod mollusks that closes the shell when the animal is retracted

b. : the covering of the gills of a fish — see fish illustration

2. : a lid or covering flap (as of a moss capsule)

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.