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Glite Dictionary
cirriped

cirriped

9.9
A small sea animal with a hard shell that attaches to rocks and feeds with feathery legs
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪrɪˌpɛd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : percebe
  • The cirriped uses its feathery limbs to filter food from the water.

Examples

  • The barnacle is a type of cirriped that attaches itself to rocks and ships.

  • Many cirripeds can be found on the hulls of boats and piers.

  • Several exotic species accompanied the Pacific oyster to France: a cnidarian, a mollusk, two cirripeds, and two seaweeds, although none is believed to pose a danger to native species.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

barnacle
vscirriped
11 6.9

A small sea animal that sticks to rocks and the bottoms of boats and forms a hard shell

is the broader scientific category that includes these common shell forming creatures
cirripede
vscirriped
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sea animal like a barnacle that sticks to rocks or ships and catches food with feathery legs

is the same term but written as an alternate spelling or form

Surface Forms

cirriped singular
cirripeds plural

Etymology

The word cirriped comes from Latin parts cirri meaning 'curl' or 'feathery strand' and -ped meaning 'foot', the same ped you see in pedal and pedestrian. These sea animals have feathery 'feet' called cirri that they use to catch food while stuck to rocks or ship hulls, so the name explains how they look and live.