nautilus

[ nawt-l-uhs, not- ]

noun,plural nau·ti·lus·es, nau·ti·li [nawt-l-ahy, not-] /ˈnɔt lˌaɪ, ˈnɒt-/ for 1, 2.
  1. Also called chambered nautilus, pearly nautilus. any cephalopod of the genus Nautilus, having a spiral, chambered shell with pearly septa.

  1. (initial capital letter) the first nuclear-powered submarine launched by the U.S. Navy.

Origin of nautilus

1
1595–1605; <Latin <Greek nautílos paper nautilus, literally, sailor, derivative of naûs ship; the webbed dorsal arms of the paper nautilus were thought to have been used as sails

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British Dictionary definitions for nautilus

nautilus

/ (ˈnɔːtɪləs) /


nounplural -luses or -li (-ˌlaɪ)
  1. any cephalopod mollusc of the genus Nautilus, esp the pearly nautilus

  2. short for paper nautilus

Origin of nautilus

1
C17: via Latin from Greek nautilos sailor, from naus ship

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