Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An eversible organ behind the head of certain caterpillars, containing strong-smelling chemicals that deter predators.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In entomology, any organ devoted to the production of a scent or odor; specifically, a forked process found on the first segment behind the head of certain butterfly-larvæ.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun zoology One of a pair of
scent organs in thelarvae of certainswallowtail butterflies .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[New Latin osmētērium, from Greek osmē, smell.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
New Latin, from Ancient Greek ὀσμή (osmē, "smell"), ὀσμητός (osmētos, "smelled").
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Examples
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Not only do the earliest books that I can find spell it "osmeterium", but the Greek root is "osme".}
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology John. B. Smith
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The Black Swallowtail Caterpillar has an orange “forked gland”, called the osmeterium.
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As with other swallowtails, these caterpillars 'posses a bright reddish orange, y-shaped gland called an osmeterium, which contains a mixture of highly noxious chemicals that smell like rancid butter.
Museum Blogs 2009
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I didn’t know about the osmeterium — kinda freaky!
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When in danger the osmeterium, which looks like a snake’s tongue, everts and releases a foul smell to repel predators.
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