operculum Antonyms
No Synonyms and anytonyms found
Meaning of operculum
operculum (n)
a hard flap serving as a cover for (a) the gill slits in fishes or (b) the opening of the shell in certain gastropods when the body is retracted
operculum (n.)
The lid of a pitcherform leaf.
The lid of the urnlike capsule of mosses.
Any lidlike or operculiform process or part; as, the opercula of a dental follicle.
The fold of integument, usually supported by bony plates, which protects the gills of most fishes and some amphibians; the gill cover; the gill lid.
The principal opercular bone in the upper and posterior part of the gill cover.
The lid closing the aperture of various species of shells, as the common whelk. See Illust. of Gastropoda.
Any lid-shaped structure closing the aperture of a tube or shell.
operculum Sentence Examples
- The snail retreated into its protective operculum as it sensed danger.
- The operculum of the gastropod was intricately patterned and concealed its soft body.
- The operculum acted as a door, sealing the snail's shell and preventing predators from entering.
- The fish opened its operculum to gasp for air, exposing its delicate gills.
- The fossilized operculum of an ancient fish species provided clues about its evolutionary history.
- The operculum on the hyoid bone of humans regulates airflow and protects the vocal cords.
- The opercula on the gills of certain crustaceans aid in respiration and filter particles from the water.
- The operculum of the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain, may play a role in regulating circadian rhythms.
- Some cephalopods, such as octopuses, have specialized opercula that function as suction cups.
- The operculum of the parasitic copepod, Caligus, attaches it to the gills of its host fish.
FAQs About the word operculum
a hard flap serving as a cover for (a) the gill slits in fishes or (b) the opening of the shell in certain gastropods when the body is retractedThe lid of a pit
No synonyms found.
No antonyms found.
The snail retreated into its protective operculum as it sensed danger.
The operculum of the gastropod was intricately patterned and concealed its soft body.
The operculum acted as a door, sealing the snail's shell and preventing predators from entering.
The fish opened its operculum to gasp for air, exposing its delicate gills.
