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Sea butterfly - 5 dictionary results
sea butterfly
–noun
| any member of the gastropod order Pteropoda, shelled marine mollusks so called for their ability to swim using winglike extensions of the foot. |
Origin:
1880–85
1880–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Sea butterfly
pter·o·pod (těr'ə-pŏd')  n. Any of various small marine gastropod mollusks of the subclass Opisthobranchia that have winglike lobes on the feet. Also called sea butterfly. [From New Latin Pteropoda, order name : Greek pteron, feather, wing; see -pter + New Latin -poda, -pod.] pter'o·pod' adj., pte·rop'o·dan (tə-rŏp'ə-dən) adj. & n. |
| sea butterfly n. See pteropod. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Sea butterfly
Sea" but"ter*fly`\ (Zo["o]l.) A pteropod.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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sea butterfly
small marine gastropods of the subclass Opisthobranchia having a pair of winglike flaps (parapodia) that are used for swimming. These gastropods were once grouped as the order Pteropoda. They live at or near the sea surface; most are less than 1 cm (0.4 inch) long.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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