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Glite Dictionary
🕷️ A silk organ 🧵 A fiber-making device
spinneret

spinneret

1 9.2
A small body part on spiders and some insects that makes silk threads
  • noun
  • /ˈspɪnərɛt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : spinneret
  • Cribellate spiders have a sort of sievelike plate just in front of the paired spinnerets, with hundreds of fine spigots.
  • spiders have spinnerets
  • thread from his spinneret

Examples

  • Since he doesn't get an exo-skeleton, trachea, book-lungs, or extra appendages, I don't really see the problem with the spinnerets being placed in his palms.

    Blog text (4)

  • This silk is extruded through a pair of glands that open in the mouthparts, each through a separate spinneret.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Besides not having real spinnerets on his butt, why doesn't he have venomous fangs to deal with the bad guys?

    Blog text (4)

  • Spiders' spinnerets, which come in pairs, are situated on the posterior of the abdomen.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The number of spinnerets varies with the species, but spiders will commonly have one to three pairs, each with several silk-spinning spigots.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The silk serves another important function: during copulation, the male's only hold on the nuptial gift is a tether of silk attached to his spinnerets.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Spiders have specialized organs called spinnerets that they use to spin their intricate webs.

  • Each spinneret can produce different types of silk, allowing the spider to create various structures.

  • The spinnerets at the end of a spider’s abdomen are vital for silk production and web construction.

Synonyms

serictery
vsspinneret
  • Specialized
9.9

A part inside some insects and spiders that makes silk

is a small organ that releases silk threads
sericterium
vsspinneret
  • Specialized
9.9

A gland in some insects and spiders that makes silk

is a small organ that releases silk threads
silk gland
vsspinneret
  • Specialized
6.1

A part inside some insects and spiders that makes thin strong threads for cocoons or webs

is a small organ that releases silk threads

Surface Forms

spinneret singular
spinnerets plural

Morphology

spinneret = spinner (semi-transparent) = spin + er + et

The word is clearly built from 'spinner' plus the diminutive suffix '-et', but the resulting term is a specialized anatomical noun rather than simply 'a small spinner'.

Etymology

The word spinneret comes from spin ('to twist thread') plus the small ending -et ('little'). So a spinneret is a 'little spinner' — the tiny organ on a spider that produces the silk threads for its web.