holothurian

[ hol-uh-thoor-ee-uhn, hoh-luh- ]

noun

1. any echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, comprising the sea cucumbers.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Holothuroidea.

holothurian

/ ˌhɒləˈθjʊərɪən /

noun

1. any echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, including the sea cucumbers, having a leathery elongated body with a ring of tentacles around the mouth

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Holothuroidea

holothurian

/ hŏl′ə-thr′ē-ən,hō′lə- /

1. Any of various echinoderms of the class Holothuroidea, characterized by elongated bodies with tentacles around the mouth and five rows of tube feet. Holothurians are softer than other echinoderms because they lack spines and the skeleton is greatly reduced. Holothurians can extrude their internal organs to distract predators and grow a new set within a few weeks.
2. Also called sea cucumber

Word History and Origins

Origin of holothurian¹

1835–45; < New Latin Holothuri ( a ) genus name (plural of Latin holothūrium < Greek holothoúrion kind of zoophyte, equivalent to holo- holo- + -thourion < ?) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of holothurian¹

C19: from New Latin Holothūria name of type genus, from Latin: water polyp, from Greek holothourion, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Deep sea holothurians, or sea cucumbers, often look static and lethargic in images.

From Time

A kind of holothurian larva, with soft, blunt appendages.

From Project Gutenberg

To reach land on the southern side of the bay we had to cross a broad reef of coral and coral sand, thickly overgrown with grass and corallines, and dotted with various species of holothurians.

From Project Gutenberg

It seems clear, however, that there was but a single duct and a single bunch of reproductive cells, as in the holothurians, though perhaps bifurcate, as in some of those animals.

From Project Gutenberg

Sea cucumbers, or holothurians, normally seen crawling incredibly slowly over the flat abyssal plains of the ocean floor, were found on steep slopes, small ledges and rock faces of the underwater mountain range.

From US News