pinnothere

English

Alternative forms

• pinnotere

Etymology

From Latin pīnotērēs, from Ancient Greek πινοτήρης (pinotḗrēs).

Noun

pinnothere (plural pinnotheres)

1. (obsolete) A small crab of the genus Pinnotheres, which live symbiotically in the shells of certain molluscs. [17th–19th c.]
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     The shell-fish called a Nacre, liveth even so with the Pinnotere, which is a little creature like unto a Crabfish, and as his porter or usher waits upon him, attending the opening of the Nacre […].

Synonyms

• pea crab

Anagrams

• interphone