autotomy
Use Autotomy in a sentence
ə noun, plural au·tot·o·mies.
1.
Zoology.
a.
separation of a body part.
b.
self-amputation of a damaged or trapped appendage.
2.
the performance of surgery upon oneself.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To autotomy
Collins
World English Dictionary
autotomy (ɔːˈtɒtəmɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -mies | |
| the casting off by an animal of a part of its body, to facilitate escape when attacked | |
| autotomic | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Autotomy
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
autotomy au·tot·o·my (ô-tŏt'ə-mē)
n.
The spontaneous casting off of a body part, especially of an invertebrate, when injured or under attack.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
autotomy
the ability of certain animals to release part of the body that has been grasped by an external agent. A notable example is found among lizards that break off the tail when it is seized by a predator. The phenomenon is found also among certain worms, salamanders, and spiders. The cast-off part is sometimes regenerated
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Adaptive strategies and energetics of tail autotomy in lizards.
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