: the terminal segment of the body of an arthropod or segmented worm
especially
: that of a crustacean forming the middle lobe of the tail
Examples of telson in a Sentence
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To arrive at this conclusion, the scientists first extracted venom from the scorpion by mild electrical stimulation to the telsons (stinger) and collected the venom through capillary tubes.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Its telson is both pointy and serrated: the Ginsu II of the Silurian.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2017
It's also got something that looks like a tail but is actually called a telson — used to flip over the body, which can weigh 10 pounds.
—Carol Motsinger, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2020
Uraraneida have more primitive spinnerets and retain the telson that modern day spiders no longer have.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 5 Feb. 2018
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Its telson is both pointy and serrated: the Ginsu II of the Silurian.
—Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2017
It's also got something that looks like a tail but is actually called a telson — used to flip over the body, which can weigh 10 pounds.
—Carol Motsinger, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2020
Uraraneida have more primitive spinnerets and retain the telson that modern day spiders no longer have.
—John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 5 Feb. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Telson.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telson. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
telson
noun
tel·son
ˈtel-sən 
: the terminal segment of the body of an arthropod or segmented worm
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