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trilobite

[ trahy-luh-bahyt ]

noun

  1. any marine arthropod of the extinct class Trilobita, from the Paleozoic Era, having a flattened, oval body varying in length from 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) or less to 2 feet (61 centimeters).


trilobite

/ ˈtraɪləˌbaɪt; ˌtraɪləˈbɪtɪk /

noun

  1. any extinct marine arthropod of the group Trilobita , abundant in Palaeozoic times, having a segmented exoskeleton divided into three parts
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


trilobite

/ trīlə-bīt′ /

  1. Any of numerous extinct and mostly small arthropods of the subphylum Trilobita that lived during the Paleozoic Era and are extremely common as fossils. Trilobites had a hard outer covering divided into three lengthwise and three widthwise sections. Their heads had two prominent compound eyes similar in structure to those of modern insects.


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Derived Forms

  • trilobitic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • tri·lo·bit·ic [trahy-l, uh, -, bit, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trilobite1

First recorded in 1825–35; from New Latin Trilobites, equivalent to Greek trílob(os) “three-lobed” + -ītēs noun suffix; tri-, lobe, -ite 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trilobite1

C19: from New Latin Trilobītēs , from Greek trilobos having three lobes; see tri- , lobe
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Example Sentences

Now, a new type of camera sees the world the way this trilobite did.

The trilobite approach isn’t the only way to boost the range of visual acuity.

The appendages are not known, but the test is in some ways like that of a trilobite.

The arches of the ventral membrane in the trilobite … afford a correspondingly firm basis for the attachment of the legs.

Passing over the fact that the oldest isopod now known is Devonian, the fossils in question seem to me quite trilobite-like.

The coxopodite of the trilobite is not fused with the basipodite, this latter segment always remaining free.

The median eye has not so far been seen in any young trilobite in any stage previous to that in which compound eyes are present.

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trilobedtrilocular