acantho-, acanth-, -acanth, -acanths, -acanthid, -acanthous

Concerning a spine that is comprised of compact or firm wedges: The acanthosphenote segments of the marine coelomate animals are kept apart from each other by porous tissues.

In invertebrate zoology, overlaid with two series of spines: In the TV documentary Penny watched, some acanthostegous bryozoans were characterized with having ovicell or ooecium needle-like protrusions.

Spinous; pertaining to the form of a thorn: The acanthous or needle-like structure of the wasp or hornet can cause a dangerous sting.

An animal with spines or spine-like growths: An acanthozooid is a member of the sessile aquatic coelomates and emits little tube-shaped structures extending as needle-like projections above the surface of the colony.

1. Flora of the genus Acanthus; bear's breech: An acanthus is a herbaceous and prickly plant, native to the Mediterranean, with large, segmented, thistle-like leaves.
2. A decoration in architecture: The term acanthus refers to a design or ornament patterned after the leaves of the plant acanthus.

A malignancy of cells of squamous nature: adenocancroid: Adenoacanthoma is a type of cancer with scaly cells occurring in the endothelium of the large intestine, the mouth, or in the uterus.

A fish of the classification Anacanthini: In the TV documentary, Norman learned that the group of anacanths included codfishes, hakes, flounders, and soles.

Regarding an organism lacking spines, spineless: Stella read about anacanthous creatures, or those which had no spiny processes, as the cod without spiny fin-rays.

A marine fish of the genus Latimeria: The coelacanth was thought to be extinct, but was discovered as living in 1938.

Coelacanths live off the shores of East Africa.

A member of the family of Coelacaanthidae: The extinct fish, termed coelacanthid, lived in the marine and freshwater areas everywhere in the world during the Permian period, but perished during the Jurassic time.

The larva of a parasitic intestinal worm: The larva of the cystacanth, or spiny-headed worm, situates itself in the intermediate host where it continues to develop.

Concerning an organism having ten spines: The dorsal fin of various fishes are considered to be decacanthous.

Regarding a plant or animal having two spines: Some beetles are known to be diacanthous, possessing two thorns or needle-like projections.

A specific powder that consists mainly of the natural gum tragacanth: One type of diatragacanth is the cold diatragacanth, put together with the gums tragacanth and arabic, liquorice, white poppy seed, starch, and cold seeds, like those of the cucumber. The powder of the hot variety is comprised of gum tragacanth, hyssop, almonds, linseed, cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger, and liquorice.

The classification of Acanthocephala: Eoacanthocephala consist of the parasites of marine vertebrates which have their proboscis hooks in a pattern similar to the five dots on a dice or on dominoes, and the cement-producing secretor of the syncytial.