spirifer

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noun

Any of numerous species of fossil brachiopods of the genera †Spirifer and †Delthyris and allied genera in order †Spiriferida, in which the long calcareous supports of the arms form a large spiral, or helix, on each side.

OriginLatin spira →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounspirifer (plural spirifers)

plural spirifers

  1. biologyAny of numerous species of fossil brachiopods of the genera †Spirifer and †Delthyris and allied genera in order †Spiriferida, in which the long calcareous supports of the arms form a large spiral, or helix, on each side.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
spiriferidspiriferoid

Origin

  1. Latinspira“a coil”
  2. Englishspirifer

From Latin spira (“a coil”) + fero (“to bear”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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