ianthina Meaning, Definition & Usage

I*an"thi*na noun

Etymology

NL., fr. L. ianthinus violet-blue, Gr. violet + flower.

Wordforms

plural L Ianthinæ E Ianthinas

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any gastropod of the genus Ianthina, of which various species are found living in mid ocean; -- called also purple shell, and violet snail. Written also janthina. ✍ It floats at the surface by means of a raft, which it constructs by forming and uniting together air bubbles of hardened mucus. The Tyrian purple of the ancients was obtained in part from mollusks of this genus.