cremaster
Americannoun
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Entomology. a usually hooklike process on the posterior tip of a chrysalis, for attaching the pupa to a stem, twig, etc.
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Anatomy. the suspensory muscle of the testis.
Other Word Forms
- cremasterial adjective
- cremasteric adjective
Etymology
Origin of cremaster
1670–80; < Latin < Greek kremastḗr literally, suspender, akin to kremannýnai to hang
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Descending from the internal oblique muscle of the abdominal wall are the two cremaster muscles, which cover each testis like a muscular net.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
Divining this in Barney's art, you can begin with the word cremaster.
From Time Magazine Archive
Crotchets: the curved spines or hooks on the prolegs of caterpillars and on the cremaster of pupae.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
The cremaster is a characteristic structure in the pupa of a moth or butterfly.
From The Life-Story of Insects by Carpenter, George H. (George Herbert)
The means by which the suspended pupa of a nymphalid butterfly attaches its cremaster to the silken pad which the larva has spun in preparation for pupation, is worthy of brief attention.
From The Life-Story of Insects by Carpenter, George H. (George Herbert)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
