Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
scaphopod

scaphopod

9.9
A sea animal with a long tube-shaped shell like a tusk that burrows in sand
  • noun
  • /ˈskæfəˌpɒd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : escafópodo
  • The scaphopod uses its long, tubular shell to burrow into sandy sea bottoms.

Examples

  • A scaphopod is easily identified by its tusk-like shell.

  • Scientists collected several scaphopods while studying marine sediment samples.

  • The scaphopod burrows into the sand.

  • Many scaphopods can be found in shallow waters.

  • A scaphopod is a type of marine mollusk known for its unique, elongated shell.

  • Researchers found a scaphopod burrowing into the sandy ocean floor during the dive.

  • The scaphopod has a shell that is open at both ends, resembling a tusk.

Synonyms

tusk shell
vsscaphopod
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sea animal with a long tube-shaped shell open at both ends

is the formal scientific name for the same burrowing marine mollusk

Surface Forms

scaphopod singular
scaphopods plural

Morphology

scaphopod = scapho + pod

Although built from Greek combining forms scapho- and -pod, these are specialized scientific morphemes unfamiliar to average learners, so the meaning 'tusk shell' is not transparently derivable from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

Scaphopod comes from Greek parts scapho- meaning 'boat' and -pod meaning 'foot'. Imagine a small sea animal living in a boat-shaped, tusk-like shell and using a strong 'foot' to move and burrow, which is why scaphopod names the burrowing tusk-shell mollusk.