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opercula

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Opercula
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o⋅per⋅cu⋅lum

  [oh-pur-kyuh-luhm]
Use opercula in a Sentence
–noun, plural -la  [-luh] , -lums.
1. Botany, Zoology. a part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel.
2. Zoology.
a. the gill cover of fishes and amphibians.
b. (in many gastropods) a horny plate that closes the opening of the shell when the animal is retracted.
Origin:
1705–15; < NL, L: lid, cover, equiv. to oper(īre) to cover + -culum -cule 2

Related forms:
o⋅per⋅cu⋅lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Opercula
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o·per·cu·lum   (ō-pûr'kyə-ləm)   
n.   pl. o·per·cu·la (-lə) or o·per·cu·lums
A lid or flap covering an aperture, such as the gill cover in some fishes or the horny shell cover in snails or other mollusks.

[Latin, lid, from operīre, to cover; see wer-4 in Indo-European roots.]
o·per'cu·lar (-lər) adj., o·per'cu·lar·ly adv.
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: oper·cu·lum
Pronunciation: O-'p&r-ky&-l&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural oper·cu·la /-l&/ also oper·cu·lums
: any of several parts of the cerebrum bordering the sylvian fissure and concealing the insula
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

operculum o·per·cu·lum (ō-pûr'kyə-ləm)
n. pl. o·per·cu·lums or o·per·cu·la (-lə)

  1. Something resembling a lid or cover.

  2. The portions of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes covering the insula.

  3. The mucus sealing the endocervical canal of the uterus after conception.

  4. The attached flap in cases of torn retinal detachment.

  5. The mucosal flap partially or completely covering an unerupted tooth.

o·per'cu·lar (-lər) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
operculum   (ō-pûr'kyə-ləm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural opercula or operculums
A lid or flap covering an opening, such as the gill cover in some fish or the horny flap covering the opening of a snail.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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