nautiloid
noun
nau·ti·loid
ˈnȯ-tə-ˌlȯid 
ˈnä-
: any of a subclass (Nautiloidea) of cephalopods bearing an external straight, curved, or spiral shell that were abundant chiefly in the Paleozoic but are represented in the recent fauna only by the nautiluses
nautiloid
adjective
Examples of nautiloid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Today, Nautilus is the only surviving genus of the once widespread nautiloids.
—
Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
Reefs built by microbes gave way to some of the first coral reefs, trilobites grew larger, and tentacled predators such as nautiloids diversified and swarmed the mostly fishless seas.
—Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, 18 Sep. 2019
Perhaps the smaller mosasaur caught the nautiloid, but was forced to give up its prey when a larger mosasaur approached.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2012
Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
Reefs built by microbes gave way to some of the first coral reefs, trilobites grew larger, and tentacled predators such as nautiloids diversified and swarmed the mostly fishless seas.
—Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, 18 Sep. 2019
Perhaps the smaller mosasaur caught the nautiloid, but was forced to give up its prey when a larger mosasaur approached.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2012
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nautiloid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1728, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near nautiloid
Cite this Entry
“Nautiloid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nautiloid. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nautiloid
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