EPIPHRAGM


Meaning of EPIPHRAGM in English

ˈepəˌfram noun

( -s )

Etymology: Greek epiphragma covering, lid, from epiphrassein, epiphrattein to block up, stop up, from epi- + phrassein, phrattein to enclose, fence in, block — more at farce

1. : a membranous or calcareous septum with which many inoperculate gastropods close the shell aperture in hibernation or aestivation

2.

a. : a taut membrane attached to the tips of the peristome teeth and closing the aperture of the capsule in mosses of the family Polytrichaceae — called also tympanum

b. : a delicate membrane closing the cuplike sporophore in fungi of the family Nidulariaceae

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.