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Glite Dictionary
actinal

actinal

9.9
On the side of an animal like a starfish that has the mouth
  • adjective
  • /ˈæktɪnəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : actinal
  • In starfish, the actinal surface is the lower side where the mouth is located.

Examples

  • Researchers observed tube feet emerging from the actinal side of the specimen.

  • Species with obvious actinal and aboral surfaces are easy to identify.

  • The actinal surface is crucial for feeding.

  • Look at the actinal side!

  • In starfish, the actinal surface is the lower side where the mouth is located.

  • Researchers observed tube feet emerging from the actinal side of the specimen.

  • The actinal surface plays an important role in the feeding process of many marine animals.

Antonyms

abactinal
  • Specialized
9.9

The surface or end that is opposite the mouth in animals like starfish

Surface Forms

actinal positive

Morphology

actinal = actin (opaque) = actin + al

The word is built from a classical scientific stem plus -al, but the biological sense is specialized and not recoverable for most learners from the modern English word actin.

Etymology

Actinal comes from an old Greek root aktis meaning 'ray', like the arms or spokes of a starfish. So the actinal side is the surface where those rays meet, the side that bears the mouth.