echinoderm

/i'kainədə:m, 'ekinədə:m/

Thân thiện

A starfish, an echinoderm, clings to a colorful coral reef.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A marine invertebrate animal characterized by tube feet and a body with five-part radial symmetry: An echinoderm is a member of the phylum Echinodermata, which includes starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers. They are exclusively marine animals.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The starfish is a common example of an echinoderm.
  • Scientists study the unique water vascular system of the echinoderm.
  • The fossil record shows that echinoderms have existed for hundreds of millions of years.

Advanced Usage

• In scientific classification: The term is used to define a major phylum of animals.
  • Echinodermata is the phylum to which all echinoderms belong.
• Describing characteristics: Used to highlight the defining features of these animals.
  • The calcareous endoskeleton is a key feature of the echinoderm body plan.

Variants and Related Words

• Echinodermata (n): The scientific phylum name for echinoderms.
• Echinodermal (adj): Of or relating to echinoderms.
  • The researcher made an echinodermal discovery.

Synonyms

• None direct: There is no single common word synonym for this precise scientific term. Descriptive phrases like "radially symmetrical marine invertebrate" can convey similar meaning.

Related Phrases

• Tube feet: The small, fluid-filled projections used for locomotion and feeding, characteristic of echinoderms.
• Water vascular system: The unique hydraulic system that operates the tube feet in echinoderms.
• Radial symmetry: The body plan where parts are arranged around a central axis, typical of adult echinoderms.

Related Idioms

• None: This is a specific scientific term and is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions.

Học thuật

Noun

1. marine invertebrates with tube feet and five-part radially symmetrical bodies