noctiluca Hear it!

noctiluca definition

nocti·luca (näk′tə lo̵̅o̅′kə)

noun

any of a genus (Noctiluca) of large, spherical, reddish, luminescent dinoflagellates that often occur in vast numbers in the sea, causing the water to glow at night

Etymology: ModL < L, something that shines at night < nox (gen. noctis), night + lucere, to shine < lux, light

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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