spirifer

noun

spi·​ri·​fer

ˈspīrəfə(r)

1

capitalized : a large genus (the type of the family Spiriferidae) of articulate brachiopods that have the arms supported within the shell by long spirally coiled spiralia which form a pair of cones with their apexes directed more or less laterally toward the ends of the long hinge line and that abound in Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous formations

2

or spiriferid

spīˈrifərə̇d

plural -s [spiriferid from New Latin Spiriferidae family of brachiopods, from Spirifer, type genus + -idae] : any brachiopod of Spirifer or a related genus

called also spire-bearer

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from spir- + -fer

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