spirula

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spir·u·la

 (spĭr′yə-lə, spĭr′ə-)
n. pl. spir·u·lae (-lē′)
A small squid of the genus Spirula, having a spirally coiled, chambered, internal shell often found on beaches.

[Late Latin spīrula, twisted cake, diminutive of Latin spīra, coil; see spire2.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spirula

(ˈspaɪrʊlə)
n
(Animals) a tropical cephalopod mollusc, Spirula peronii, having prominent eyes, short arms, and a small flattened spirally coiled internal shell: order Decapoda (cuttlefish and squids)
[C19: via New Latin from Late Latin: a small twisted cake, from Latin spīra a coil]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.spirula - a small tropical cephalopod of the genus Spirula having prominent eyes and short arms and a many-chambered shell coiled in a flat spiralspirula - a small tropical cephalopod of the genus Spirula having prominent eyes and short arms and a many-chambered shell coiled in a flat spiral
decapod - cephalopods having eight short tentacles plus two long ones
genus Spirula - genus of small cephalopods with many-chambered spiral shells resembling those of the extinct belemnites
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Stephenson (1929, his tables I and II) reported mean lengths and widths for two nematocyst types, "penicilli" (probably amastigophores) and "spirulae" (probably b-mastigophores), from the acontia of Sagartia elegans (30 capsules per type for each of 12 specimens) and Cereus pedunculatus (30 capsules per type for each of 7 anemones--2 newly released, brooded young and 5 adults).