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oph·i·ur·oid

(ŏf′ē-yroid, ō′fē-)

Any of various echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, which includes the basket stars and the brittle stars.

[From New Latin Ophiūroīdea, class name : Ophiūra, type genus (Greek ophis, snake + Greek ourā, tail; see ors- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + Greek -oeidēs, -oid.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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