madreporite

M3A1D2R1E1P3O1R1I1T1E1
US/ˌmædɹəˈpɔɹaɪt/

noun

A calcareous opening in the body of echinoderms which connects the water vascular system to the environment.

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Meanings

nounmadreporite (plural madreporites)

plural madreporites

  1. biologyA calcareous opening in the body of echinoderms which connects the water vascular system to the environment.
  2. archaicbiologyA fossil stony coral, or a deposit composed of the same.

    Whether madreporite occurs naturally in Spain, I do not know

    1943, “Publications of the Folklore Society (Great Britain)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 138
    2 more examples

    a similar Madreporite deposite is noticed a few feet above the coal seam

    1839, Report of the progress of the Geological Survey for the year 1839

    Madreporite was regarded as a variety of calcite and anthraconite a lamellar variety of madreporite

    1989, Society for the Bibliography of Natural History (Great Britain), Archives of Natural History, page 199

Origin

From madrepore + -ite; the echinoderm sense is in reference to how it resembles the coral.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

madreporite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/madreporite

MLA

“madreporite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/madreporite. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “madreporite,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/madreporite.

Source: madreporite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.