Platypelloid

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a body or structure that is broad and flattened into a low, disc-like form, a term used in biology and palaeontology
2. Having a shape that is wide, flat and lens-like, often applied to shells, cells or fossil remains
3. Characterised by a flattened, disc-shaped outline, as observed in certain organisms and their hard parts

Etymology: "Platypelloid" is built from two parts that were each assembled from Greek. The first, "platypellic," comes from Greek "platys," meaning broad or flat, and "pella," meaning a shallow dish or bowl, which gives the sense of something spread wide and flattened like a plate. The second part, "-oid," is a suffix from Greek "-oeidēs," meaning "resembling" or "having the form of," so the whole term means "resembling a broad, flat dish." Because it is a technical coinage built by joining classical elements, the word is a modern scientific formation rather than a term used by the ancient Greeks, who did not need a word for a flat disc in this form. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: a shape that is wide, flat, and round, like a saucer or a coin.

Synonyms: flattened, depressed

Antonyms: globose