belemnite

[ bel-uhm-nahyt ]

noun

, Paleontology.

1. a conical fossil, several inches long, consisting of the internal calcareous rod of an extinct animal allied to the cuttlefish; a thunderstone.

belemnite

/ ˈbɛləmˌnaɪt /

noun

1. any extinct marine cephalopod mollusc of the order Belemnoidea , related to the cuttlefish
2. the long pointed conical internal shell of any of these animals: a common Mesozoic fossil

belemnite

/ bĕl′əm-nīt′ /

1. Any of various extinct cephalopod mollusks of the order Belemnoidea that lived from the Triassic into the Tertiary Period. Belemnites had a large, cone-shaped internal shell with a complex structure that served as a support for muscles and as a hydrostatic device. Belemnites were closely related to the present-day squids and cuttlefishes.
2. The fossilized internal shell of one of these cephalopods. Belemnites are used as index fossils .

Word History and Origins

Origin of belemnite¹

1640–50; < French bélemnite, equivalent to Greek bélemn ( on ) a dart (noun derivative from base of bállein to throw) + French -ite -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of belemnite¹

C17: from Greek belemnon dart

Example Sentences

She mostly finds Gryphaea, ancestors of the oyster, but she also has ammonites, belemnites and sea lilies — all ancient sea dwellers.

From Washington Post

The belemnite, it turned out, had been discovered four years earlier by an amateur naturalist named Chaning Pearce, and the discovery had been fully reported at a meeting of the Geological Society.

From Literature

By contrast, a younger, early Cretaceous, ichthyosaur graveyard found in Chile shows large numbers of individuals, of all ages, thought to be hunting for fish and belemnites, and a regurgitation pellet containing pterosaur remains.

From The Guardian

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the ancestors of the tentacled trio were slow, heavily armored creatures, like the coil-shelled ammonites and the cone-shelled belemnites.

From New York Times

Spending hours searching for perfectly coiled ammonites and long finger-like belemnite fossils to market to tourists is precisely how Mary Anning got her start as one of the greatest paleontologists in history.

From Forbes