operculum

[ oh-pur-kyuh-luhm ]

noun

, plural o·per·cu·la [oh-, pur, -ky, uh, -l, uh], o·per·cu·lums.

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

operculum

/ əʊˈpɜːkjʊləm; əʊˈpɜːkjʊlɪt; -ˌleɪt /

noun

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 the bony plate in certain gastropods covering the opening of the shell when the body is withdrawn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

operculum

/ ō-pûr′kyə-ləm /

, Plural opercula

1. A lid or flap covering an opening, such as the gill cover in some fish or the horny flap covering the opening of a snail.

Derived Forms

• oˈpercular, adjective

Other Words From

• o·percu·lar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of operculum¹

1705–15; < New Latin, Latin: lid, cover, equivalent to oper ( īre ) to cover + -culum -cule ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of operculum¹

C18: via New Latin from Latin: lid, from operīre to cover

Example Sentences

Operculum semi-lunar, orange, with a projection which serves as a lock to keep the operculum in position.

From Project Gutenberg

Operculum made of plates rising one above another formed at different stages of growth.

From Project Gutenberg

The operculum, like the shell itself, often exhibits distinct lines of growth which display the manner in which it was built up.

From Project Gutenberg

These fishes generally have an air-bladder, and the gills lie close together in a cavity covered by an operculum.

From Project Gutenberg

These are the bones connected with respiration—the operculum, the branchiostegal rays, the branchial arches, and others.

From Project Gutenberg