Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

operculum

/oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.17 in modern English

Syllables: op-er-cu-lum
IPA: /oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A covering flap in animals and insects, such as a gill cover or the lid of nits.

noun

The lidlike portion of a moss sporangium or of a fruit that detaches to allow the dispersal of spores or seeds.

noun

A gum flap covering (part of) a partially erupted tooth, usually a wisdom tooth.

noun

A structure which serves as a cover or lid.

noun

One of several flaps of cerebral cortex covering the insula.

Example Sentences

"Hyoliths […] have a small, conical calcium carbonate shell, with a lid called an operculum."
"As the egg comes out, it gets covered in glue. All it needs now is the operculum, a little lid that will help your kid breathe."
"I lifted the circular operculum from its place and laid it carefully on the bale."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Latin operiō Latin -culum Latin operculumbor. English operculum Borrowed from Latin operculum.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/
British English: /əʊˈpɜː.kjʊ.ləm/

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.

Inflected Forms

opercula (plural)

Derived Forms

operculiferous operculitis preoperculum interoperculum suboperculum

Frequently Paired Words

opercle

Questions

How do you pronounce operculum?: The recorded pronunciation is /oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/.
What does operculum mean?: A covering flap in animals and insects, such as a gill cover or the lid of nits.
Where does operculum come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Latin operiō Latin -culum Latin operculumbor. English operculum Borrowed from Latin operculum.

How to pronounce operculum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “operculum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/oʊˈpɝ.kjə.ləm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “operculum”.
Repeat and practice — Say “operculum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.