† pneumoskeletonn.
Zoology. Obsolete.
An exoskeleton developed from or associated with a respiratory organ, as the shell of a mollusc, secreted by the mantle.
ΚΠ
1851 S. P. Woodward Man. Mollusca i. 35 The shell..may be regarded as a pneumo-skeleton.
1876 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. 643 Pneumoskeleton... The hard structures which are connected with the breathing organs (e.g., the shell of Molluscs).
1882 G. W. Tryon Struct. & Systematic Conchol. I. 14 The relation of the shell to the breathing organ is very intimate: indeed, it may be regarded as a pneumo-skeleton, being essentially a calcified portion of the mantle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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