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ves·ti·men·tif·er·an

(vĕs′tə-mĕn-tĭfər-ən)

Any of various often large marine annelid tubeworms of the family Siboglinidae that inhabit deep-sea hydrothermal vents and lack a digestive system, depending on endosymbiotic bacteria for nutrition. Vestimentiferans were formerly classified in the phylum Vestimentifera.

[From New Latin Vestīmentifera, former phylum name : Latin vestīmentum, outer garment; see VESTMENT + Latin -fera, neuter pl. of -fer, -fer.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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