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Glite Dictionary
Asteroidea

Asteroidea

1 9.9
Sea animals that have star-shaped bodies and usually five arms
  • noun
  • /ˌæstəˈrɔɪdiə/
  • Specialized
: Asteroidea
  • Scientists collected several Asteroidea specimens from the rocky tide pools for their study.

Examples

  • The Asteroidea are fascinating creatures found in oceans.

  • The aquarium's new exhibit features a variety of Asteroidea from different ocean habitats.

  • Members of the Asteroidea class are easily recognized by their star-shaped bodies.

  • Did you know that Asteroidea can regenerate their arms?

  • The Asteroidea, commonly known as sea stars, can often be seen clinging to rocks in tide pools.

  • Marine biologists study the Asteroidea to understand their role in ocean ecosystems.

  • The Asteroidea species have five arms that enable them to move gracefully across the sea floor.

Surface Forms

Asteroidea singular
Asteroideas plural
Asteroidea plural

Morphology

Asteroidea = aster (opaque) = aster + oidea

Although built from the recognizable element 'aster' and the taxonomic suffix '-oidea', the term is a specialized scientific class name and its full meaning is not derivable by an average B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

The word Asteroidea comes from the Greek root aster meaning 'star' and the part -oidea meaning 'shape', like the small star symbol asterisk. So Asteroidea are sea animals with a 'star' shape, which is why they include the sea stars or starfish.