Biological Terminology

noun blood that is blue in color due to a lack of oxygen

• In some cultures, blue blood is associated with royalty and nobility.
• She likes to joke that her blue blood comes from a long line of kings and queens.
• I heard he's got blue blood running through his veins, must be nice to be so rich.
• Having blue blood doesn't make you better than anyone else, we're all equal in the end.

adjective relating to or resembling a membrane

• The cell is surrounded by a thin, membranous layer.
• The fish had a slimy, membranous coating on its scales.
• I accidentally stepped on a frog and its membranous skin felt gross.
• Her words had a membranous quality, easily slipping through my defenses.

adjective having long, soft hair or fur; hairy

• The pilose plant exhibited dense, hair-like structures on its leaves.
• I noticed that the pilose caterpillar was crawling on the tree.
• That pilose dude needs a haircut ASAP.
• Her pilose personality was reflected in her wild and untamed spirit.

adjective having a wrinkled or ridged surface

• The rugous texture of the rock formation indicated years of weathering and erosion.
• I love running my hands over the rugous surface of this old tree trunk.
• The skateboard park has some rugous ramps for doing tricks.
• His rugous personality made it difficult for others to get close to him.

noun the state or quality of lacking courage or determination; cowardice

• The manager's spinelessness in making tough decisions led to chaos in the workplace.
• I can't stand his spinelessness when it comes to standing up for himself.
• His spinelessness is so annoying, he never stands up for what he believes in.
• The spinelessness of the government in addressing the issue left the citizens feeling abandoned.

noun a combining form meaning “spine,” “thorn,” “spiny,” used in the formation of compound words: acanthocephalan.

• The acantho- prefix is commonly used in scientific terminology to refer to spines or spiny structures.
• I learned about the acantho- prefix in my biology class last week.
• Hey, did you know that acantho- is like the fancy word for spiky stuff?
• The acantho- symbolizes protection and defense in many ancient cultures.

noun a term used in biology to refer to a specific type of structure found in certain organisms

• The acanthostyle is a specialized structure found in certain species of marine worms.
• I learned about the acanthostyle in my marine biology class.
• That acanthostyle thingamajig is pretty cool, huh?
• The acanthostyle represents the intricate design of nature's creations.

adjective having no head or leader; leaderless

• The medical condition known as acephalous refers to the absence of a head.
• I heard that rare species of fish is acephalous.
• That movie was so confusing, it felt like an acephalous mess.
• The company's leadership structure was described as acephalous, with no clear direction or decision-making authority.

noun a needle-like structure, such as the spine of a hedgehog or porcupine

• The acicula is a needle-like structure found in certain plants.
• I accidentally pricked myself on the acicula while gardening.
• Be careful, that acicula is sharp!
• Her words were like aciculas, piercing through my defenses.

adjective relating to or situated on the side or towards the side of an axis, opposite to the radial side

• The adradial symmetry of the organism was a key characteristic studied by biologists.
• The adradial pattern of the design looks really cool.
• I can't believe how adradial that new video game is!
• The team's adradial approach to problem-solving led to innovative solutions.