tunicate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tunicatus, past participle of tunicare (“to clothe with a tunic”).

Noun

tunicate (plural tunicates)

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

Translations

any of the chordate marine animals of the subphylum Tunicata

• Czech: pláštěnec m
• Dutch: manteldier n
• Finnish: vaippaeläin (fi)
• Hebrew: אִצְטְלָן‎ m (itzt'lán)
• Polish: osłonica f
• Portuguese: tunicado m

Adjective

tunicate (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to these animals.
2. (anatomy, botany) Enclosed in a tunic or mantle; covered or coated with layers.
   • 1976, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift, New York: Avon, →ISBN, page 404:

     This tunicate withered hag the Señora had my financial number.

3. (zoology) Having each joint buried in the preceding funnel-shaped one, as in certain antennae of insects.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• bitunicate
• fissitunicate
• prototunicate
• unitunicate

Related terms

• endotunica
• exotunica

Latin

Adjective

tunicāte

1. vocative masculine singular of tunicātus

Verb

tunicāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of tunicō