brachiopod

noun

bra·​chio·​pod ˈbrā-kē-ə-ˌpäd How to pronounce brachiopod (audio)
: any of a phylum (Brachiopoda) of marine invertebrates with bivalve shells within which is a pair of arms bearing tentacles by which a current of water is made to bring microscopic food to the mouth

called also lampshell

brachiopod adjective

Examples of brachiopod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The resultant habitat loss and cooling temperatures caused the extinction of approximately 85% of marine species, including many brachiopods and trilobites. Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024 Similar chitinous bristles can be found in some more obscure groups of animals including brachiopods and bryozoans. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Aug. 2024 Early life had been thriving in a warm greenhouse world, as creatures such as trilobites, corals, brachiopods and more evolved to fill in the coastal shallows. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024 The researchers could even identify 1-millimeter commensal brachiopods—clamlike invertebrates—attached to the head of the trilobites when they were entombed. science.org, 3 July 2024 In the Cambrian, tubes built by one species of giant worms hosted another, and brachiopods encrusted the bodies of free swimming arthropods like barnacles on modern whales. Asher Elbein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Runoff from overgrazed, eroding soil, Kidwell and her colleagues concluded, must have smothered the hard surfaces the brachiopods needed, resulting in the local extinction of an entire ecosystem. Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023 As a result, the fossils found in shale are typically small, aquatic animals and plants, such as bryozoans, brachiopods and arthropods. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2023 The event took its hardest toll on marine organisms such as corals, shelled brachiopods, eel-like creatures called conodonts, and the trilobites. Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 30 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin bracchium + Greek pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brachiopod was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near brachiopod

Cite this Entry

“Brachiopod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brachiopod. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

brachiopod

noun
bra·​chio·​pod ˈbrā-kē-ə-ˌpäd How to pronounce brachiopod (audio)
: any of a phylum of invertebrate marine animals that have bivalve shells and a pair of arms bearing tentacles

called also lampshell

brachiopod adjective

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