ˈrajələ noun
( plural radu·lae -ˌlē, -ˌlī)
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, scraper, from radere to scrape — more at rat
: a chitinous band in nearly all mollusks except bivalves that bears numerous usually very minute teeth on its dorsal surface and slides backward and forward by special muscles over a more or less protrusible prominence on the floor of the mouth and serves to tear up the food and draw it into the mouth — see odontophore
• rad·u·lar -_lə(r) adjective