Fasciole

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A narrow band of tiny spines or fine grooves on the outer shell of certain sea urchins, especially the irregular kinds
2. The fine strip of minute spines found on the test of some burrowing sea urchins, distinct from the main surface pattern
3. A tiny ribbon-like band of short spines running across the hard shell of certain echinoids such as heart urchins

Etymology: "Fasciole" comes from Latin "fasciola," meaning "a little bandage," a diminutive of "fascia," a band or strip of material. The Latin word was itself used for strips of cloth wrapped around the body, so the core image is simply something wound or tied in a narrow band. In English, the term is used in zoology and anatomy for a narrow band or stripe, most often a marking or ridge on an animal's body or shell. Its link to the bandage sense is still visible in the way the word describes something long, thin and banded rather than broad or solid. The word was borrowed directly from Latin, so it kept the diminutive ending that marks it as a smaller version of "fascia."