Pinnotheres

noun

Pin·​no·​the·​res
ˌpinəˈthi(ˌ)rēz
: a genus (the type of the family Pinnotheridae) of small crabs (as the oyster crab and the pea crab) having usually a thin membranous covering and living as commensals in the mantle cavity of various bivalve mollusks or in some similar cavity in other marine animals

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin pinoteres, pinotheres crab living in the mantle cavity of the pen shell, from Greek pinotērēs, from pino- (from pinē pen shell) + -tērēs (from tērein to guard)

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Cite this Entry

“Pinnotheres.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pinnotheres. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

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