operculata

pl. [Neut. pl. of Lat. oper culatus, pa. par. of operculo to furnish with a cover; operculum =acover.] Zool. & Palæont .: A section of Pulmoniferous Gasteropods; the shell is closed by an operculum. There are two families, Cyclos tom ide and Aviculidæ. Early fo il species from the Eocene Tertiary. õ-per-cu-late, o-per-cu-lat-ěd, adj . [Latin operculatus , from operculo = to furnish with a cover.] The same as OPERCULAR (Q. v.). Specif., in botany, used to describe a calyx which is united into a kind of cap or lid, which falls off entire. Ex ample, Eucalyptus. op-er-cu-li-form, adj . and form a form, shape.] IMG:content-0304.png:[blocks in formation] (2) Spec.: The lid closing the urn, theca, or spo3. Ichthy.: One of a chain of broad flat bones forming the gill-cover in o eous fishes. 4. Zool .: In many of the Gasteropod a, a calcareous, horny, or fibrous plate, secreted by the meta podium, and serving to close the orifice of the shell when the animal is retracted. The Periwinkle is a familiar example. The term is also applied to a lid which closes the shell of the se ile cirripedes of Balanus and Verruca, and of the lids of certain eggs. IMG:content-0305.png:[blocks in formation] "Written language, as it is more operous , so it is more digested and is permanent."- Holden : On Speech. *õ-per-tā-ně-ous, a . [Lat. opertaneus , from operio to shut, to close.] Secret, hidden, private. õpe-tide, *ope-tyde, s. [Eng. ope , and tide .] Early spring; open-tide. "God grudges not our moderate and seasonable jollities, there is an opetide by his allowance as well as a Lent."-Bp. Hall: Sermon in Lent . (1641) oph-i-, pref. [OPHIO-.]