nauplius

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an early free-swimming crustacean larva with a median eye, little body segmentation, and usually three pairs of appendages

   Under the microscope, the nauplius propelled itself with its three pairs of appendages.

Borrowed from New Latin Nauplius, a genus name coined when these larvae were mistaken for independent animals. The name ultimately comes through Latin from Greek nauplios, a kind of shellfish, related to naus ("ship") and plein ("to sail"). The learned plural is nauplii.

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