Ophiuroid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A marine invertebrate that features a distinct disc-shaped body from which long, fragile arms extend, aiding in both locomotion and food gathering
2. A type of echinoderm characterized by a central disk with numerous thin, flexible limbs that assist in movement and foraging for food within marine environments
3. This marine animal exhibits a round body and long, slender appendages, which facilitate its mobility and feeding processes in the ocean

Etymology: Ophiuroids are the brittle stars, a group of echinoderms related to starfish and sea urchins. Their name comes from the Greek "ophis", meaning "snake", and "oura", meaning "tail", so the word literally describes a snake-tailed creature. The animal's long, flexible arms, which are sharply set off from a small central disc, are what earned it this description. The word was formed as "Ophiuroidea", the name of the class, which was built from "Ophiura", a genus name that combines the same two Greek elements. The "-oid" ending, from Greek "eidos", meaning "form" or "resemblance", turns the class name into an adjective-like noun meaning "snake-tailed in form". Because the name was coined from classical roots as a scientific label, it describes a creature that was named by naturalists rather than one that ancient Greeks would have recognised.