noctiluca Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun large bioluminescent marine protozoan
    Noctiluca miliaris.

WordNet

Noc`ti*lu"ca noun
Etymology
L. noctiluca something that shines by night, fr. nox, noctis, night + lucere to shine, lux light.
Wordforms
plural NoctilucÆ
Definitions
  1. (Old Chem.) That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name for phosphorus.
  2. (Zoöl.) A genus of marine flagellate Infusoria, remarkable for their unusually large size and complex structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due to myriads of Noctilucæ.

Webster 1913