Brachiopod definition

brākē-ə-pŏd, brăkē-
brachiopods
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Any of numerous marine invertebrates of the phylum Brachiopoda, having a shell with two valves of unequal size enclosing an armlike lophophore used for feeding, and including many extinct species commonly found as fossils.
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Any of a phylum (Brachiopoda) of marine animals with hinged upper and lower shells enclosing two armlike parts with tentacles that are used for guiding minute food particles to the mouth.
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Any of many marine invertebrates, of the phylum Brachiopoda, that have bivalve dorsal and ventral shells with two tentacle-bearing arms that capture food.
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Any of various marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Brachiopoda that resemble clams. Brachiopods have paired upper and lower shells attached to a usually stationary stalk and hollow tentacles covered with cilia that sweep food particles into the mouth. Brachiopods are probably related to the phoronids and bryozoans, and were extremely abundant throughout the Paleozoic Era.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
brachiopod
Plural:
brachiopods

Origin of brachiopod

  • From New Latin Brāchiopoda phylum name Latin brācchium arm brachium New Latin -poda -pod

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From brachio- +‎ -pod.

    From Wiktionary

Brachiopod Sentence Examples

  • The soft body of the Brachiopod is in all cases protected by a shell composed of two distinct valves; these valves are always, except in cases of malformation, equal-sided, but not equivalved.

  • The valves are, consequently, essentially symmetrical, which is not the case with the Lamellibranchiata, - so much so, that certain Brachiopod shells were named Lampades, or lamp shells, by some early naturalists; but while such may bear a kind of resemblance to an antique Etruscan lamp, by far the larger number in no way resemble one.

  • The body of the Brachiopod v usually occupies about the posterior half of the space within the shell.

  • The protegulum has been found in members of almost all the families of Brachiopod, and it is thought to occur throughout the group. It resembles the shell of the Cambrian .4 genus Iphidea [Paterina], and the Phylembryo is frequently referred to as the Paterina stage.

  • There is, however, a considerable amount of resemblance between the lophophore of Phoronis australis, with its spirally twisted ends, and that of a typical Brachiopod; nor do the structural details of the adult Brachiopods forbid the view that they may be related to Phoronis.

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