Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Pl. scalpella (-ä). One of the four filamentous organs or hair-like lancets contained in the promuscis of hemipterous insects. The upper pair of scalpella are homologous with mandibles, the lower pair with maxillæ.
- noun [capitalized] A genus of thoracic cirripeds of the family Pollicipedidæ, related to Ibla, and notable in presenting in some species the sexes distinct, in others hermaphrodites with complemental males.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word scalpellum.
Examples
-
"Bibliological Maledictions Revisited" in Maledicta (1978), featuring a dozen multilingual book curses that would have rounded out this introduction with such unusual macaronic curses as ... in ventrem illius I'll stick my scalpellum/And teach him to steal my little libellum, or William Barnes's four-line curse in Italian, Latin, French, and English.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.