Meanings
nounchilidium (plural chilidia)
plural chilidia
- biologyA plate covering a portion of the dorsal valve in certain brachiopods.
The chilidium is a convex plate often covering the cardinal process of the dorsal valve in the Protremata.
1895, Charles Schuchert, A Synopsis of American Fossil Brachiopoda Including Bibliography and Synonymy1 more example
The chilidium is not often visible in the dorsal valve of Billingsella but when seen proves to be an arch with its piers built against the notothyrial edge.
1938, Edward Oscar Ulrich, Ozarkian and Canadian Brachiopoda, page 73
Origin
From chil(o)-, alternative form of cheilo- + -idium.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
chilidium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilidium
MLA
“chilidium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilidium. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chilidium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilidium.
Source: chilidium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.