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opisthobranch

/ɵˈpɪsθəbɹæŋk/

noun

A gastropod with gills behind the heart, formerly thought to belong to a single group.

Opposite

Scrabble 25

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Meanings

nounopisthobranch (plural opisthobranchs)

plural opisthobranchs

biologyA gastropod with gills behind the heart, formerly thought to belong to a single group.

adjectiveopisthobranch (not comparable)

not comparablePlaced behind the heart.
Antonyms: prosobranch
not comparableHaving gills placed behind the heart.
For example, the antitumour depsipeptide kahalalide F was isolated from the opisthobranch mollusc Elysia rufescens, and is used by both the mollusc and its dietary alga Bryopsis spp.
2016 January 21, “Choose Your Weaponry: Selective Storage of a Single Toxic Compound, Latrunculin A, by Closely Related Nudibranch Molluscs”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
Antonyms: prosobranch

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivePlaced behind the heart.

Opposite

adjectiveHaving gills placed behind the heart.

Opposite

Also see

opisthobranchiate

Origin

From opistho- + branchia.

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

opisthobranch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opisthobranch

MLA

“opisthobranch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opisthobranch. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “opisthobranch,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/opisthobranch.

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