radula

noun

rad·​u·​la ˈra-jə-lə 

plural radulae ˈra-jə-ˌlē 

-ˌlī

also radulas

: a horny band or ribbon in mollusks other than bivalves that bears minute chitinous teeth on its dorsal surface and scrapes or tears off food and draws it into the mouth

radular

ˈra-jə-lər 

adjective

Examples of radula in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The radula can have 10,000 of these teeth-like hooks, depending on the species. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2025

Their teeth are one of the hardest materials in nature and are attached to a flexible tongue-like structure called a radula. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 31 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

adaptation (as translation of German Reibplatte) of Latin rādula "scraper," from rādere "to scrape, scratch, pare away, shave" + -ula, deverbal suffix of adjectives and nouns — more at rase

Note: The term was probably introduced by the Russian zoologist Alexander von Middendorff (Aleksandr Fëdorovič Middendorf, 1815-94), in Beiträge zu einer Malacozoologia rossica, 1. Band (St. Petersburg, 1847), p. 54 passim. The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, who were unable to trace the word in Middendorff's work, appear not to have consulted the first volume of the Beiträge. The word does not occur in the second and third parts, published in 1849.

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for radula

• betula
• blastula
• fistula
• regula
• scrofula
• beulah
• chula
• gula
• hula
• kula
• ula
• campanula

Kids Definition

radula

noun

rad·​u·​la ˈraj-ə-lə 

: a tough band bearing teeth that occurs in some mollusks (as snails and slugs) and is used to scrape or tear off food and bring it into the mouth

Medical Definition

radula

noun

rad·​u·​la ˈraj-ə-lə 

plural radulae -ˌlē  -ˌlī  also radulas

: a horny band or ribbon in mollusks other than bivalves that bears minute teeth on its dorsal surface and tears up food and draws it into the mouth and that in some members of the gastropod genus Conus is used to inflict a poisonous and sometimes fatal bite

radular

-lər 

adjective