nephridium

American  

[nuh-frid-ee-uhm] / nəˈfrɪd i əm /

noun

Zoology.

plural

nephridia

1. the excretory organ of many invertebrates, consisting of a tubule with one end opening into the body cavity and the other opening into a pore at the body surface.

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nephridium British  

/ nɪˈfrɪdɪəm /

noun

1. a simple excretory organ of many invertebrates, consisting of a tube through which waste products pass to the exterior

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Other Word Forms

• nephridial adjective

Etymology

Origin of nephridium

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; see origin at nephr-, -idium

Example Sentences

Beating cilia at the opening of the nephridium draw water from the coelom into a tubule.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The nephridium is connected to the barrier separating the compartments, and consists of a long coil connected to a trumpet-like bell.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Externally, the nephridium opens by a straight part of the tube, which is often very wide, and here the intracellular lumen becomes intercellular.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

Vezhdovsk�’s figures of Rhynchelmis agree with those of Bergh in showing the backward growth of the nephridium from the funnel cell.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

The Polychaeta, however, present us with another form of nephridium seen, for example, in Arenicola, where a large funnel leads into a short and wide excretory tube whose lumen is intercellular.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various