ScienceAugust 29, 2026

podial

PO-dee-uhl

Definition

Relating to the feet or the tube feet (podia) of an echinoderm.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek word 'pous' (meaning 'foot'), the term entered English via the New Latin 'podialis' to describe anatomical structures related to feet or foot-like appendages.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe 'podial triplets,' a specific functional arrangement of three tube feet found in living crinoids.

In the entire 485-million-year fossil record of sea lilies, only one fossil had ever been found with the tube feet the animals catch their food with, and a pair of crushed specimens from a Quebec quarry has now produced the second and oldest case, at about 452

Read the full article ↗

ScienceBlog.com

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