spicule

From Latin spīculum.

spicule (plural spicules)

1. A sharp, needle-like piece.
2. A tiny glass flake formed during the manufacture of glass vials
3. (biology) Any of many needle-like crystalline structures that provide skeletal support in marine invertebrates like sponges.
   • 1860, Recreative Science, page 110:

     Tear it up, and put a fragment under the microscope, and, wonder of wonders! see the maze of geometric forms exhibited in the bones of the creature; for who can help regarding the spicules as bones, even though a sponge be invertebrate?

4. A needle-like mating structure found only in male nematodes.
5. (astronomy) A jet of matter ejected from the photosphere of the sun.
6. A small spike of flowers.

• Pulices, clipeus

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /spi.kyl/

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spicule f (plural spicules)

1. (biology) Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

• “spicule”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.