IANTHINA

I*an"thi*na, n.; pl. L. Ianthinæ, E. Ianthinas. Etym: [NL., fr. L. ianthinus violet-blue, Gr. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any gastropod of the genus Ianthina, of which various species are found living in mid ocean; -- called also purple shell, and violet snail. [Written also janthina.]

Note: It floats at the surface by means of a raft, which it constructs by forming and uniting together air bubbles of hardened mucus. The Tyrian purple of the ancients was obtained in part from mollusks of this genus.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

24 April 2025

LININ

(noun) an obsolete term for the network of viscous material in the cell nucleus on which the chromatin granules were thought to be suspended


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