|astrē(ˌ)ōˈspənjēə, -pän- noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from astraeo- (from Greek astraios starry, from aster-, astēr star) + -spongia — more at star
: a genus of saucer-shaped Silurian fossil sponges having 6-rayed stellate spicules and important as Paleozoic index fossils