Definition of "osculum" in Englisch

noun

1. (chiefly zoology) A small opening or orifice.

2. (zoology, obsolete) One of the suckers on the head of a tapeworm.

3. (zoology) The main opening in a sponge from which water is expelled.

   • 2012, Sally P. Lees, April Hill, The Physiology and Molecular Biology of Sponge Tissues, Mikel A. Becerro, Maria J. Uriz, Manuel Maldonado, Xavier Turon (editors), Michael Lesser (series editor), Advances in Marine Biology 62: Advances in Sponge Science, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 30, Oscula are also thought to arise initially from a single porocyte (Weissenfels, 1980), but how they coordinate with other porocytes to form a larger osculum is still unclear.