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murex

murex


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Venus  \Ve"nus\,  n.  [L.  Venus,  -eris,  the  goddess  of  love,  the 
  planet  Venus.] 
  1.  (Class.  Myth.)  The  goddess  of  beauty  and  love,  that  is 
  beauty  or  love  deified. 
 
  2.  (Anat.)  One  of  the  planets,  the  second  in  order  from  the 
  sun,  its  orbit  lying  between  that  of  Mercury  and  that  of 
  the  Earth,  at  a  mean  distance  from  the  sun  of  about 
  67,000,000  miles.  Its  diameter  is  7,700  miles,  and  its 
  sidereal  period  224.7  days.  As  the  morning  star,  it  was 
  called  by  the  ancients  {Lucifer};  as  the  evening  star, 
  {Hesperus}. 
 
  3.  (Alchem.)  The  metal  copper;  --  probably  so  designated  from 
  the  ancient  use  of  the  metal  in  making  mirrors,  a  mirror 
  being  still  the  astronomical  symbol  of  the  planet  Venus. 
  [Archaic] 
 
  4.  (Zo["o]l.)  Any  one  of  numerous  species  of  marine  bivalve 
  shells  of  the  genus  {Venus}  or  family  {Venerid[ae]}.  Many 
  of  these  shells  are  large  and  ornamented  with  beautiful 
  frills;  others  are  smooth,  glossy,  and  handsomely  colored. 
  Some  of  the  larger  species,  as  the  round  clam,  or  quahog, 
  are  valued  for  food. 
 
  {Venus's  basin}  (Bot.),  the  wild  teasel;  --  so  called  because 
  the  connate  leaf  bases  form  a  kind  of  receptacle  for 
  water,  which  was  formerly  gathered  for  use  in  the  toilet. 
  Also  called  {Venus's  bath}. 
 
  {Venus's  basket}  (Zo["o]l.),  an  elegant,  cornucopia-shaped, 
  hexactinellid  sponge  ({Euplectella  speciosa})  native  of 
  the  East  Indies.  It  consists  of  glassy,  transparent, 
  siliceous  fibers  interwoven  and  soldered  together  so  as  to 
  form  a  firm  network,  and  has  long,  slender,  divergent 
  anchoring  fibers  at  the  base  by  means  of  which  it  stands 
  erect  in  the  soft  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Called 
  also  {Venus's  flower  basket},  and  {Venus's  purse}. 
 
  {Venus's  comb}. 
  a  (Bot.)  Same  as  {Lady's  comb}. 
  b  (Zo["o]l.)  A  species  of  {Murex}  ({M.  tenuispinus}).  It 
  has  a  long,  tubular  canal,  with  a  row  of  long,  slender 
  spines  along  both  of  its  borders,  and  rows  of  similar 
  spines  covering  the  body  of  the  shell.  Called  also 
  {Venus's  shell}. 
 
  {Venus's  fan}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  common  reticulated,  fanshaped 
  gorgonia  ({Gorgonia  flabellum})  native  of  Florida  and  the 
  West  Indies.  When  fresh  the  color  is  purple  or  yellow,  or 
  a  mixture  of  the  two 
 
  {Venus's  flytrap}.  (Bot.)  See  {Flytrap},  2. 
 
  {Venus's  girdle}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  long,  flat,  ribbonlike,  very 
  delicate,  transparent  and  iridescent  ctenophore  ({Cestum 
  Veneris})  which  swims  in  the  open  sea.  Its  form  is  due  to 
  the  enormous  development  of  two  spheromeres.  See  Illust. 
  in  Appendix. 
 
  {Venus's  hair}  (Bot.),  a  delicate  and  graceful  fern 
  ({Adiantum  Capillus-Veneris})  having  a  slender,  black  and 
  shining  stem  and  branches. 
 
  {Venus's  hair  stone}  (Min.),  quartz  penetrated  by  acicular 
  crystals  of  rutile. 
 
  {Venus's  looking-glass}  (Bot.),  an  annual  plant  of  the  genus 
  {Specularia}  allied  to  the  bellflower;  --  also  called 
  {lady's  looking-glass}. 
 
  {Venus's  navelwort}  (Bot.),  any  one  of  several  species  of 
  {Omphalodes},  low  boraginaceous  herbs  with  small  blue  or 
  white  flowers. 
 
  {Venus's  pride}  (Bot.),  an  old  name  for  Quaker  ladies.  See 
  under  {Quaker}. 
 
  {Venus's  purse}.  (Zo["o]l.)  Same  as  {Venus's  basket},  above. 
 
 
  {Venus's  shell}.  (Zo["o]l.) 
  a  Any  species  of  Cypr[ae]a;  a  cowrie. 
  b  Same  as  {Venus's  comb},  above. 
  c  Same  as  {Venus},  4. 
 
  {Venus's  slipper}. 
  a  (Bot.)  Any  plant  of  the  genus  {Cypripedium}.  See 
  {Lady's  slipper}. 
  b  (Zo["o]l.)  Any  heteropod  shell  of  the  genus 
  {Carinaria}.  See  {Carinaria}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Murex  \Mu"rex\,  n.;  pl  {Murices}.  [L.,  the  purple  fish.] 
  (Zo["o]l.) 
  A  genus  of  marine  gastropods,  having  rough,  and  frequently 
  spinose,  shells,  which  are  often  highly  colored  inside;  the 
  rock  shells.  They  abound  in  tropical  seas.