Veliger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specific larval form in some mollusks that possesses cilia for swimming and feeding purposes
2. An early developmental phase in marine invertebrates, marked by a ciliated structure that aids in mobility and nutrition
3. A unique larval stage observed in certain molluscan species that features cilia for both locomotion and nutrient acquisition

Etymology: "Veliger" is a scientific coinage built from two Latin parts: "velum", meaning sail, and "-ger", meaning bearing or carrying, so the name literally means "sail-bearing." The term describes the larval stage of many marine snails and their relatives, which develop a thin, sail-like ciliated flap (the velum) that they use to swim and feed in the plankton before settling and growing their adult shell. The word was borrowed directly from the Latin "vēliger," used as a technical label for this stage. Its appearance in English is a product of modern zoology, which drew on Latin roots to name newly observed features of animal development rather than inheriting an older everyday term.