telson

noun

tel·​son ˈtel-sən 

: the terminal segment of the body of an arthropod or segmented worm

especially : that of a crustacean forming the middle lobe of the tail

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek, end of a plowed field; perhaps akin to Greek telos end

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

telson

noun

tel·​son ˈtel-sən 

: the terminal segment of the body of an arthropod or segmented worm