tunicate

T1U1N1I1C3A1T1E1

noun

Any of very many chordate marine animals, of the subphyla Tunicata or Urochordata, including the sea squirts.

Similar
urochordateurochord
OriginLatin tunicātus →
RareScrabble 10
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Meanings

tunicate1

nountunicate (plural tunicates)

plural tunicates

  1. Any of very many chordate marine animals, of the subphyla Tunicata or Urochordata, including the sea squirts.

tunicate2

adjectivetunicate (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf or pertaining to Tunicata or Urochordata.

tunicate3

adjectivetunicate (not comparable)
  1. not comparableanatomyEnclosed in a tunic or mantle; covered or coated with layers.

    This tunicate withered hag the Señora had my financial number.

    1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 404
  2. not comparablebiologyHaving each joint buried in the preceding funnel-shaped one, as in certain antennae of insects.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounprimitive marine animal having a saclike unsegmented body and a urochord that is conspicuous in the larva

Similar
urochordateurochord
Broader
chordate
Also see
urochordurochordate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

tunicate · noun

  1. Latintunicātus
  2. Englishtunicate

From translingual Tunicata + -ate (noun-forming suffix). Further from Latin tunicātus, perfect passive participle of tunicō (“to clothe with a tunic”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

tunicate · adjective

Rebracketing of tunicate on the basis of -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Full word history & related roots →

tunicate · adjective

  1. Latintunicātus
  2. Englishtunicate

Borrowed from Latin tunicātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian опашнохордово
  • опашнохордово (opašnohordovo)any of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Czech pláštěnec
  • pláštěnecany of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Dutch manteldier
  • manteldierany of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Finnish vaippaeläin
  • vaippaeläinany of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Hebrew אִצְטְלָן
  • אִצְטְלָן (itzt'lán)any of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Polish osłonica
  • osłonicaany of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Portuguese tunicado
  • tunicadoany of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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