epiphragm

[ ep-uh-fram ]

noun

1. a calcified or membranous septum produced by certain land snails during hibernation and functioning to cover the shell opening and prevent desiccation.
2. Botany. a membrane enclosing the capsule in certain mosses.

epiphragm

/ ˈɛpɪˌfræm /

noun

1. a disc of calcium phosphate and mucilage secreted by snails over the aperture of their shells before hibernation

Other Words From

• ep·i·phrag·mal [ep-, uh, -, frag, -m, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epiphragm¹

1820–30; < Greek epíphragma covering, lid, equivalent to epi- epi- + phrágma fence

Word History and Origins

Origin of epiphragm¹

C19: via New Latin from Greek epiphragma a lid, from epiphrassein, from epi- + phrassein to place in an enclosure