nematocyst

noun

1. A capsule, in certain cnidarians, containing a barbed, threadlike tube that delivers a paralyzing sting

   Often one sees, on surface view, a distinctly rounded vacuole, occupying a position in the cell occupied in others by a large nematocyst.

Where it comes from

Formed as nemato- + cyst after the French nématocyste.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry nematocyst (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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