lorica
9.9
A hard protective shell made by tiny water organisms
- noun
- /ˈlɔːrɪkə/
- Specialized
:
lorica
- Certain microorganisms secrete a lorica that helps them survive in harsh environments.
Examples
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The small protoctist was protected by a hard covering called a lorica.
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In the lab, we observed various unicellular organisms that had a distinctive lorica.
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Lorica squamata, male lorica hamata or the famous segmented lorica segmentata as their primary offensive armament.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A hard outer shell on some small sea animals like sea urchins
is secreted by microscopic organisms rather than formed by larger animals
Surface Forms
Etymology
Lorica comes from the Latin word lorica meaning 'body armor' and from lorum meaning 'strap'. A helpful way to remember the scientific sense is to imagine a tiny creature building a little suit of 'armor' or shell from sand and glue, so scientists call that hard protective covering a lorica.