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Glite Dictionary
ascidian tadpole

ascidian tadpole

9.9
A free-swimming baby sea animal that looks like a tadpole and has a stiff rod in its tail
  • noun
  • /əˈsɪdɪən ˈtædpoʊl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tadpole de ascidía
  • The ascidian tadpole swims freely before settling on a surface to become a sessile adult.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the development of the ascidian tadpole to better understand chordate evolution.

  • During this stage, the ascidian tadpole exhibits a notochord in its tail, similar to vertebrates.

  • The ascidian tadpole swims gracefully in the water.

  • I observed an ascidian tadpole under the microscope.

  • The ascidian tadpole swims freely before settling on a surface to become a sessile adult.

  • Researchers studied the development of the ascidian tadpole to better understand chordate evolution.

  • During this stage, the ascidian tadpole exhibits a notochord in its tail, similar to vertebrates.

Surface Forms

ascidian tadpole singular
ascidian tadpoles plural

Morphology

ascidian + tadpole

The compound 'ascidian tadpole' directly combines 'ascidian' (a marine invertebrate) and 'tadpole' (larval form), so it denotes the tadpole-like larval stage of an ascidian. This noun–noun compositional pattern is transparent and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning even if the biological term is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Ascidian tadpole is named for its look: a young ascidian, a sea-squirt, in a swimming stage that has a tail like a tadpole with a stiff rod like a tiny spine. So the name points to this 'tadpole' shape and refers to the free-swimming larval stage before it settles and becomes an adult.