operculum

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o·per·cu·lum

 (ō-pûr′kyə-ləm)
n. pl. o·per·cu·la (-lə) or o·per·cu·lums
Biology A lidlike structure covering an opening, especially:
a. A bony plate that covers and protects the gills of most bony fishes. Also called gill cover.
b. A horny or calcareous plate attached to the foot of most larval and many adult gastropods, used to close the aperture when the animal retracts into its shell.
c. A covering at the top of the spore capsule of most mosses, falling off when mature spores are released.

[Latin, lid, from operīre, to cover; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

o·per′cu·lar (-lər) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

operculum

(əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm) or

opercule

n, pl -la (-lə) or -lums
1. (Zoology) zoology
a. the hard bony flap covering the gill slits in fishes
b. the bony plate in certain gastropods covering the opening of the shell when the body is withdrawn
2. (Botany) botany the covering of the spore-bearing capsule of a moss
3. (Biology) biology any other covering or lid in various organisms
[C18: via New Latin from Latin: lid, from operīre to cover]
oˈpercular, operculate, operculated adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

o•per•cu•lum

(oʊˈpɜr kyə ləm)

n., pl. -la (-lə), -lums.
1. a part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel.
2. the gill cover of fishes and amphibians.
[1705–15; < New Latin, Latin: lid, cover]
o•per′cu•lar, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

o·per·cu·lum

(ō-pûr′kyə-ləm)
A lid or flap covering an opening, such as the gill cover in some fish or the horny flap covering the opening of a snail.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.operculum - a hard flap serving as a cover for (a) the gill slits in fishes or (b) the opening of the shell in certain gastropods when the body is retractedoperculum - a hard flap serving as a cover for (a) the gill slits in fishes or (b) the opening of the shell in certain gastropods when the body is retracted
plate - any flat platelike body structure or part
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
kiduskansi

operculum

[əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm] nopercolo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

o·per·cu·lum

n. opérculo.
1. cubierta o tapadera;
2. una de las partes del cerebro que cubre la ínsula.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in periodicals archive ?
beniensis, du systeme du Rio Madeira; Owiyeye est distinct par l'absence de dermosphenotique, un patron derive d'ecailles frontales, et un patron de coloration de la region mandibulaire, et inclut des especes des bassins de l'Amazone et de l'Orenoque; Melanorivulus se distingue par une morphologie apomorphique du pre opercule, des patrons de colorations derives de la region postorbitale du male et des nageoires impaires de la femelle et compte des especes des tributaires sud de l'Amazone, du systeme du Parana-Paraguay, du bassin du Paranaiba et du Sao Francisco.