glass sponge

noun

: any of a class (Hexactinellida synonym Hyalospongiae) of chiefly deep-water siliceous marine sponges with 6-rayed spicules and a skeleton often resembling glass when dried

Examples of glass sponge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
For example, the deep-sea glass sponge Monorhaphis chuni has been estimated to live over 2,000 years. Scott Travers, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 Some species of glass sponges can live for thousands of years. Scott Travers, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 Most notable among them was Charles Wyville Thomson, a Scotsman who in the 1860s hauled up glass sponges, sea spiders, and other curiosities—thus debunking a theory that the deep ocean was lifeless. Amy Brady, Scientific American, 20 June 2023 Among a bonanza of fossils, the married duo has cataloged 170 marine species, including glass sponges, crustaceans called horseshoe crab shrimp, and a six-legged arthropod that may have given rise to insects. Byscience News Staff, science.org, 4 May 2023 Other critters float around them, including anemones with 8-foot tentacles, rippling squidworms, glass sponges, and ghostly white Dumbo octopuses. WIRED, 28 Feb. 2023 Found almost 8,000 feet below the sea’s surface, The E.T. Sponge is a type of glass sponge. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2021 And a 2017 study revealed that glass sponge reefs possess a distinct soundscape entirely their own. Sabrina Imbler, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2020 Besides the gigantic siphonophore, the explorers also found large groups of glass sponges and other species. Fox News, 14 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glass sponge was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near glass sponge

Cite this Entry

“Glass sponge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glass%20sponge. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on glass sponge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!