lamp shell
Syllabification: (lamp shell)
Definition of lamp shell
noun
- a marine invertebrate that superficially resembles a bivalve mollusk but has two or more arms of ciliated tentacles (lophophores) that are extended for filter feeding. Lamp shells are common as fossils. Also called brachiopod.
- Phylum Brachiopoda: numerous groups in the Paleozoic era but few surviving to the present day
Origin:
mid 19th century: from its resemblance to an ancient oil lamp