spinule

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noun

A minute spine or thorn.

OriginLate Latin spīnula ← Latin spīna ← French spinule →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounspinule (plural spinules)

plural spinules

  1. A minute spine or thorn.

    Alongside of the pairs, there is often another smaller spinule, on one side or both, sometimes a second; and rarely, there are scattered spinules upon the surface between

    c. 1852, James Dwight Dana, Crustacaea

Origin

  1. Frenchspinule
  2. Latinspīna“a spine”
  3. Late Latinspīnula
  4. Englishspinule

Anglicized form of Late Latin spīnula, diminutive of Latin spīna (“a spine”). Compare French spinule.

More words from Late Latin, Latin, French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

spinule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spinule

MLA

“spinule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spinule. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spinule,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spinule.

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