| belemnite | <paleontology> A conical calcareous fossil, tapering to a point at the lower extremity, with a conical cavity at the other end, where it is ordinarily broken; but when perfect it contains a small chambered cone, called the phragmocone, prolonged, on one side, into a delicate concave blade; the thunderstone. It is the internal shell of a cephalopod related to the sepia, and belonging to an extinct family. The belemnites are found in rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. Origin: Gr. Dart, fr. Dart, fr. To throw: cf. F. Belemnite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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