oxea

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀξέᾱ (oxéā). Either from the Ionic form of Attic ὀξεῖᾰ (oxeîa), (a feminine form of ὀξῠ́ς (oxús, “sharp”) applied to ῥᾰ́βδος (rhábdos, “wand; shaft”))[1] or a variant of ὀξῠ́ᾱ (oxúā), ὀξῠ́η (oxúē, “beech; spear-shaft”).[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

oxea (plural oxea or oxeas or oxeae)

  1. (zoology, of sponges (Porifera)) a monoaxial spicule which is pointed at both ends

Usage notes
  • The Oxford English Dictionary lists only the plural oxea,[3] but other sources[4] list the plurals oxeae (by analogy to Latin feminine nouns such as alumna ~ alumnae) or oxeas (by generalization to standard English pluralization).

Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “pointed spicule”): strongyle

Derived terms
  • oxeate

References
  1. “oxea, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2014.
  2. “ὀξέᾱ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
    “ὀξῠ́ᾱ”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. “oxea, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2014.
  4. "oxea" in Glossary of geology by Jackson, Julia A., James P. Mehl, and Klaus KE Neuendorf, eds. Springer, 2005.

Spanish

Verb

oxea

  1. inflection of oxear:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative
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