HECTOCOTYLUS

Etymology

Noun

hectocotylus (plural hectocotyli)

(zoology) A modified arm of any of several male cephalopods that functions as a reproductive organ by transfering sperm to the mantle of the female. [from 19th c.]

Source: Wiktionary


Hec`to*cot"y*lus, n.; pl. Hectocotyli. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Definition: One of the arms of the male of most kinds of cephalopods, which is specially modified in various ways to effect the fertilization of the eggs. In a special sense, the greatly modified arm of Argonauta and allied genera, which, after receiving the spermatophores, becomes detached from the male, and attaches itself to the female for reproductive purposes.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

13 February 2025

BREAK

(verb) cause the failure or ruin of; “His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage”; “This play will either make or break the playwright”


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