archaeocyathid
|ar-kee-oh-sai-uh-thid|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑr.ki.oʊˈsaɪ.ə.θɪd/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑː.ki.əʊˈsaɪ.ə.θɪd/
ancient cup-shaped reef-forming fossil
Etymology
'archaeocyathid' originates from Greek, specifically the roots 'archaios' meaning 'ancient' and 'kyathos' meaning 'cup', combined with the taxonomic suffix '-id'.
'archaeocyathid' developed from the scientific class name 'Archaeocyatha' (used in paleontology to name the group) and later came to be used as a common noun for members of that group ('archaeocyathid').
Initially the components literally meant 'ancient cup'; over time the term came to denote the specific fossil group of cup-shaped Cambrian organisms rather than a literal cup.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an extinct, cup-shaped, sessile marine organism (member of the Archaeocyatha) from the early Cambrian, often forming reef-like structures and known from calcareous skeletal fossils.
Arch aeocyathid fossils are important indicators of early Cambrian reef ecosystems.
Last updated: 2026/01/06 12:37