Operculum

Operculum
Operculum O*per"cu*lum, n.; pl. L. {Opercula}, E. {Operculums}. [L., a cover or lid, fr. operire to cover.] 1. (Bot.) (a) The lid of a pitcherform leaf. (b) The lid of the urnlike capsule of mosses. [1913 Webster]

2. (Anat.) (a) Any lidlike or operculiform process or part; as, the opercula of a dental follicle. (b) The fold of integument, usually supported by bony plates, which protects the gills of most fishes and some amphibians; the gill cover; the gill lid. (c) The principal opercular bone in the upper and posterior part of the gill cover. [1913 Webster]

3. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The lid closing the aperture of various species of shells, as the common whelk. See Illust. of {Gastropoda}. (b) Any lid-shaped structure closing the aperture of a tube or shell. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Operculum — may refer to: Operculum (animal), a stiff structure resembling a lid or a small door that opens and closes Operculum (gastropod), a lid on the shell of some gastropods Operculum (bryozoa), a lid on the orifice of some bryozoans Operculum (fish),… …   Wikipedia

  • operculum — 1713, from L. operculum cover, lid, from operire to cover, close (see WEIR (Cf. weir)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Opercŭlum — (lat., »Deckel«), s. Tafel »Samenformen«; in der Zoologie der Deckel zum Verschließen der Schale bei den Deckelschnecken (s. Schnecken) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • operculum — ► NOUN (pl. opercula) Zoology 1) a flap of skin protecting a fish s gills, typically stiffened by bony plates. 2) a plate that closes the aperture of a gastropod mollusc s shell. ORIGIN Latin, lid, covering …   English terms dictionary

  • operculum — [ō pʉr′kyo͞o ləm, ō pʉr′kyələm] n. pl. opercula [ō pʉr′kyo͞olə, ō pʉr′kyələ] or operculums [ModL < L, lid, dim. < operire, to close, shut: for IE bases see OB & APERTURE] any of various covering flaps or lidlike structures in plants and… …   English World dictionary

  • Operculum — Das Operculum einer marinen Schnecke Ein Operculum (lat. „Deckelchen“, Pl. Opercula) ist ein horniger oder kalkiger Deckel, den die Schnecken aus der Gruppe der Vorderkiemer an der Oberseite ihres Fußes tragen. Damit wird die Mündung des Gehäuses …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • operculum — (female pleopod(s) II). A plate over the branchial chamber of the abdomen of female janiroideans, consisting of the fused second pleopods. The first pleopods are absent in female Janiroidea. In males, pleopods I and II lock together to form an… …   Crustacea glossary

  • operculum — n.; pl. opercula [L. operculum, lid] 1. A lid or flaplike cover. 2. (ANNELIDA: Polychaeta) In certain sedentary forms, a modified tentacle that closes the tube; in some Spirorbidae ( Pileolaria and Janua ) enlarges and serves as a brood pouch. 3 …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • operculum — 1. Anything resembling a lid or cover. 2. [TA] In anatomy, the portions of the frontal (o. frontale [TA], frontal o. [TA]), parietal (o. parietale [TA], parietal o. [TA]), and temporal (o. temporale [TA], temporal o. [TA]) lobes bordering the… …   Medical dictionary

  • Operculum — Oper|cu|lum [...kulum] das; s, ...la <aus lat. operculum »Deckel«> deckelartiger Teil eines Organs (Anat.) …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

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