Biological Structures

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

• The artist created a beautiful sculpture that was moon shaped.
• I bought a necklace with a moon shaped pendant.
• Check out that cool moon shaped skateboard deck!
• Her smile was like a moon shaped crescent, lighting up the room.

adjective resembling or characteristic of a thread; long, thin, and flexible

• The threadlike structure of the DNA molecule is essential for genetic information storage.
• I found a threadlike piece of string on my sweater.
• Her hair was so thin and threadlike, it looked like spiderwebs.
• The threadlike connection between the two events was hard to ignore.

adjective relating to or resembling a spine or thorn

• The acanthine leaves of the plant were a striking feature in the botanical garden.
• I love how the acanthine plant adds a pop of color to the backyard.
• Check out those cool acanthine leaves on that plant!
• Her acanthine personality stood out in a crowd of ordinary people.

noun a type of radiating structure found in certain organisms, such as radiolaria and actinomycetes

• The actinomere is a specialized structure found in certain bacteria.
• I read about actinomeres in my biology textbook.
• Have you seen the actinomeres under the microscope? They look so cool!
• The actinomere of teamwork is the collaboration and coordination among team members.

noun a small prickle or sharp point on a plant or animal

• The aculeolus on the plant's stem is used for defense against herbivores.
• Be careful not to touch the aculeolus on that cactus, it's sharp!
• Ouch, I pricked myself on the aculeolus of that thorny bush.
• His words were like aculeolus, piercing through her defenses.