Photophore

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A natural organ in certain marine creatures that produces light by chemical reaction ; a container designed to hold a candle or small light source for illumination or decoration
2. An anatomical feature that glows in some sea animals through bioluminescence ; a decorative holder used to support a candle and cast light
3. An organ found in some fish and marine animals that generates light biologically ; a receptacle made to hold and shield a candle or light

Etymology: A photophore is a light-producing organ, most familiar from deep-sea fish and squid, where it glows through bioluminescence. The word is a straightforward modern compound: "photo-", from Greek "phōs" (genitive "phōtos"), meaning light, joined to "-phore", from Greek "phoros", meaning bearer, from "pherein", to carry. Literally, a photophore is a light-bearer, an organ that carries light. The construction follows a pattern common in scientific vocabulary, where Greek elements are combined to name newly described structures. The same "-phore" element appears in words such as "semaphore" (sign-bearer) and "carbophore," showing how the suffix was used to name things that carry or hold something. Here the thing carried is light itself, produced by the organ rather than merely passing through it.

Synonyms: light organ, luminescent organ, bioluminescent structure, light-producing organ, glow organ