Dictionary

spicule en · NOUN

Etymology

From Latin spīculum.

Meanings

1. A sharp, needle-like piece.
2. A tiny glass flake formed during the manufacture of glass vials.
3. Any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges.
   • Tear it up, and put a fragment under the microscope, and, wonder of wonders! see the maze of geometric forms exhibited in the bones of the creature; for who can help regarding the spicules as bones, even though a sponge be invertebrate? 1860, Recreative Science, page 110:
4. A needle-like mating structure found only in male nematodes.
5. A jet of matter ejected from the photosphere of the sun.
6. A small spike of flowers.
7. (historical) A unit of mass equal to 125 pounds.

Forms

Deriveds

spiculite · spiculiferous · macrospicule · spicular · spiculigenous · spiculiform

Translations (20)

pl spikula (sharp, needle-like piece) · la spīculum (sharp, needle-like piece) · fr spicule (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · ru спи́кула (sharp, needle-like piece) · ru спи́кула (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · ca espícula (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · pl spikula (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · fi spikula (sharp, needle-like piece) · fi kalkkineulanen (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · de Nadel (sharp, needle-like piece) · es espícula (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · ro spicul (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · de Kalknadel (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · bg шип (sharp, needle-like piece) · it spicola (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · ota ایكنه (sharp, needle-like piece) · fi spikula (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · es espícula (sharp, needle-like piece) · pt espícula (any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges) · it spicola (sharp, needle-like piece)