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operculum

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ō pûr′kyə ləm)

Inflections of 'operculum' (n):

opercula: npl

operculums: npl

o•per•cu•lum (ō pûr′kyə ləm),USA pronunciation n., pl. -la (-lə),USA pronunciation -lums.

Botany, Zoologya part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel.
Zoology
- the gill cover of fishes and amphibians. See diag. under fish.
- (in many gastropods) a horny plate that closes the opening of the shell when the animal is retracted.

Neo-Latin, Latin: lid, cover, equivalent. to oper(īre) to cover + -culum -cule²
1705–15

o•per′cu•lar, adj.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

operculum /əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm/, opercule /əʊˈpɜːkjuːl/ n ( pl -la /-lə/, -lums)

- the hard bony flap covering the gill slits in fishes
- the bony plate in certain gastropods covering the opening of the shell when the body is withdrawn
the covering of the spore-bearing capsule of a moss
any other covering or lid in various organisms

Etymology: 18th Century: via New Latin from Latin: lid, from operīre to coveroˈpercular, operculate /əʊˈpɜːkjʊlɪt; -ˌleɪt/, operculated /əʊˈpɜːkjʊˌleɪtɪd/ adj

'operculum' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

lid - aperient - branchiostegal - inoperculate - opercle - operculate

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operculum