brachiopod
noun
bra·chio·pod
ˈbrā-kē-ə-ˌpäd 
: any of a phylum (Brachiopoda) of marine invertebrates with bivalve shells within which is a pair of arms bearing tentacles by which a current of water is made to bring microscopic food to the mouth
called also lampshell
brachiopod
adjective
Examples of brachiopod in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The resultant habitat loss and cooling temperatures caused the extinction of approximately 85% of marine species, including many brachiopods and trilobites.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Similar chitinous bristles can be found in some more obscure groups of animals including brachiopods and bryozoans.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Aug. 2024
Early life had been thriving in a warm greenhouse world, as creatures such as trilobites, corals, brachiopods and more evolved to fill in the coastal shallows.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
The researchers could even identify 1-millimeter commensal brachiopods—clamlike invertebrates—attached to the head of the trilobites when they were entombed.
—science.org, 3 July 2024
In the Cambrian, tubes built by one species of giant worms hosted another, and brachiopods encrusted the bodies of free swimming arthropods like barnacles on modern whales.
—Asher Elbein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
Runoff from overgrazed, eroding soil, Kidwell and her colleagues concluded, must have smothered the hard surfaces the brachiopods needed, resulting in the local extinction of an entire ecosystem.
—Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
As a result, the fossils found in shale are typically small, aquatic animals and plants, such as bryozoans, brachiopods and arthropods.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2023
The event took its hardest toll on marine organisms such as corals, shelled brachiopods, eel-like creatures called conodonts, and the trilobites.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 30 Sep. 2019
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Similar chitinous bristles can be found in some more obscure groups of animals including brachiopods and bryozoans.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Aug. 2024
Early life had been thriving in a warm greenhouse world, as creatures such as trilobites, corals, brachiopods and more evolved to fill in the coastal shallows.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024
The researchers could even identify 1-millimeter commensal brachiopods—clamlike invertebrates—attached to the head of the trilobites when they were entombed.
—science.org, 3 July 2024
In the Cambrian, tubes built by one species of giant worms hosted another, and brachiopods encrusted the bodies of free swimming arthropods like barnacles on modern whales.
—Asher Elbein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
Runoff from overgrazed, eroding soil, Kidwell and her colleagues concluded, must have smothered the hard surfaces the brachiopods needed, resulting in the local extinction of an entire ecosystem.
—Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023
As a result, the fossils found in shale are typically small, aquatic animals and plants, such as bryozoans, brachiopods and arthropods.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2023
The event took its hardest toll on marine organisms such as corals, shelled brachiopods, eel-like creatures called conodonts, and the trilobites.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 30 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Brachiopod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brachiopod. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brachiopod
noun
bra·chio·pod
ˈbrā-kē-ə-ˌpäd
: any of a phylum of invertebrate marine animals that have bivalve shells and a pair of arms bearing tentacles
called also lampshell
brachiopod
adjective
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