Epitheca

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The upper half of the theca of a thecate protist such as a diatom or dinoflagellate.

    "Cellariiform, the orifices nearly confined to the convex frontal and lateral surfaces; the basal surface with a strong median calcareous keel, almost concealed by a flat membranous epitheca, which covers the whole zoarium […]"

Synonyms

All synonyms
epiconeepisomehypotheca

Example

More examples

"Cellariiform, the orifices nearly confined to the convex frontal and lateral surfaces; the basal surface with a strong median calcareous keel, almost concealed by a flat membranous epitheca, which covers the whole zoarium […]"

Etymology

Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + θήκη (thḗkē, “case, box, receptacle”)

More for "epitheca"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.