Archaeocyatha
|Ar-chae-o-cy-a-tha|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑrki.oʊˈsaɪəθə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑːkiəʊˈsaɪəθə/
ancient cup-shaped reef-building organism
Etymology
'Archaeocyatha' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'archaios' and 'kyathos', where 'archaios' meant 'ancient' and 'kyathos' meant 'cup'.
'Archaeocyatha' was coined in modern scientific (New Latin) usage in paleontology by combining these Greek roots; the term entered the literature in the 19th century and has been used as a taxonomic name for the Cambrian reef-building organisms.
Initially the name literally conveyed the image 'ancient cups' from its Greek roots, but it came to refer specifically to the extinct group of cup-shaped, reef-building Cambrian organisms.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an extinct group (often treated as a class) of sessile, calcareous, sponge-like marine organisms from the early to middle Cambrian that built porous, cup-shaped skeletons and commonly formed reef-like structures.
Archaeocyatha were important reef builders in the early Cambrian seas.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/06 12:19