gastrovascular

[ gas-troh-vas-kyuh-ler ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

Zoology.

serving for digestion and circulation, as a cavity.

gastrovascular

/ ˌɡæstrəʊˈvæskjʊlə /

adjective

(esp of the body cavities of coelenterates) functioning in digestion and circulation

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Word History and Origins

Origin of gastrovascular¹

First recorded in 1875–80; gastro- + vascular

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Example Sentences

Meals disappear into the gastrovascular cavity, which is also where the equivalent of digestive cells empty their waste.

From Scientific American

The jelly bumped into the glass at one point, which allowed the researchers to get a close-up of the gastrovascular, or digestive, canals that cover its body.

From National Geographic

Two polyps connect their gastrovascular openings at night, a behavior that has never been documented before.

From Time

gastrotrich gastrula

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