chilidium

English

Noun

chilidium (plural chilidia)

1. (zoology) A plate covering a portion of the dorsal valve in certain brachiopods.
   • 1895, Charles Schuchert, A Synopsis of American Fossil Brachiopoda Including Bibliography and Synonymy:

     The chilidium is a convex plate often covering the cardinal process of the dorsal valve in the Protremata.

   • 1938, Edward Oscar Ulrich, Ozarkian and Canadian Brachiopoda, page 73:

     The chilidium is not often visible in the dorsal valve of Billingsella but when seen proves to be an arch with its piers built against the notothyrial edge.

Derived terms

• chilidial