Autotomy — (from the Greek auto = self and tomy = severing ) or self amputation is the act whereby an animal severs one or more of its own appendages, [The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.] usually as a self… … Wikipedia
autotomy — n. 1. spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw or a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack. [WordNet 1.5] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
autotomy — [ô tät′əmē] n. [ AUTO + TOMY] the reflex action by which a leg, claw, tail, etc., as of a lobster, starfish, or lizard, is broken off at a special joint when the part is damaged, seized, etc.: the missing part then regenerates autotomic [ôt΄ə… … English World dictionary
autotomy — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1897 reflex separation of a part (as an appendage) from the body ; division of the body into two or more pieces • autotomous adjective • autotomize verb … New Collegiate Dictionary
autotomy — n. [Gr. autos, self; tome, a cutting] The act of reflex self mutilation of a part or appendage of various invertebrates, i.e., annelids, cnidarians, crustaceans and insects … Dictionary of invertebrate zoology
autotomy — noun spontaneous removal of a limb, tail etc, especially by some invertebrates as a self defense mechanism … Wiktionary
autotomy — The act of casting off a body part as a means of escape; e.g., the limb of a crab or the tail of a lizard. [auto + G. tome, a cutting] * * * au·tot·o·my ȯ tät ə mē n, pl mies reflex separation of a part from the body esp. in an invertebrate … Medical dictionary
autotomy — The voluntary shedding of a limb by snapping it off the base [Ingle, 1983] … Crustacea glossary
autotomy — n. (Zoology) discarding of a damaged or trapped part of body (as in a lizard s tail) … English contemporary dictionary
autotomy — [ɔ: tɒtəmi] noun Zoology the casting off of a part of the body (e.g. the tail of a lizard) by an animal under threat … English new terms dictionary
