tube foot

noun

: one of the small flexible tubular processes of most echinoderms that are extensions of the water-vascular system and are used especially in locomotion and grasping

Examples of tube foot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Where their radiating spines converge, urchins have delicate, bulbous skeletons with holes for wriggly tube feet and bumps where spines attach. Lisa S. Gardiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024 Patterson shows me a photo of a new urchin under a microscope, pointing out the minute skeleton ball, radiating spines, and comically enormous tube feet that the urchin will hopefully grow into. Lisa S. Gardiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024 Underneath its body, two zigzagging rows of tube feet with 62 in each row, and another two rows with 45 tube feet per row, help the sea cucumber get around, researchers said. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 1 July 2024 The new species was identified by its tube feet, tentacles and other subtle physical features, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024 Its hunting efficacy stems from its spiny exterior and dexterous tube feet, enabling it to adeptly navigate and capture prey on the muddy seafloor. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 At first glance, starfish seem to be all limbs, with five appendages lined with rows of tube feet giving them their signature shape. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023 Some use tiny tube feet to crawl, while others, like Synapta, move in undulating, wavelike motions. Shaena Montanari, National Geographic, 21 July 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tube foot was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near tube foot

Cite this Entry

“Tube foot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tube%20foot. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

tube foot

noun
: one of the tiny tubes of most echinoderms (as a starfish or sea urchin) that are part of the water-vascular system and are used especially in movement and grasping

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