nautilus
/'nɔ:tiləs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A cephalopod mollusk: A marine animal of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, characterized by a spiral shell with many chambers and pearly partitions. It is a living fossil, related to squids and octopuses.
- A submarine: (Capitalized, often as part of a proper name) A type of submarine, famously the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Animal):
- The nautilus is often called a "living fossil" because it has remained relatively unchanged for millions of years.
- We saw the beautiful, coiled shell of a nautilus in the aquarium exhibit.
- Noun (Submarine):
- Jules Verne's fictional submarine in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" was named the Nautilus.
- The nuclear-powered USS Nautilus made history by reaching the North Pole.
Advanced Usage
- "Chambered nautilus": The full common name for the animal (), emphasizing its multi-chambered shell.
- The chambered nautilus creates new, larger chambers as it grows.
Variants and Related Words
- Nautili (n): A traditional plural form of .
- Nautiluses (n): A common modern plural form of .
- Nautiloid (n/adj): (Paleontology) Referring to or being an extinct, shelled cephalopod related to the modern nautilus.
Synonyms
- Cephalopod: The broader class of mollusks to which the nautilus belongs (e.g., squid, octopus).
- Submarine: A watercraft capable of independent operation underwater (for the mechanical sense).
Related Phrases and Terms
- Paper nautilus: A common name for , a different genus of octopus where the female secretes a thin, papery egg-case, not a true nautilus shell.
- Despite the name, the paper nautilus is actually a type of octopus.
Noun
- cephalopod of the Indian and Pacific oceans having a spiral shell with pale pearly partitions
- cephalopod mollusk of warm seas whose females have delicate papery spiral shells
- a submarine that is propelled by nuclear power