Osculum
Osculum (plural oscula) (zoology, obsolete) one of the suckers on the head of a tapeworm. Oscula) is an excretory structure in the living sponge, a large opening to the outside through which the current of water exits after passing through the spongocoel. An osculum is a large opening in a sponge that serves as an outlet for water to flow out after it has been filtered for nutrients.
See examples of osculum used in a sentence. The meaning of osculum is an excurrent opening of a sponge. There are four meanings listed in oed's entry for the noun osculum, two of which are labelled obsolete.
Dec 4, 2025calcareous sponges of the genus scypha are shaped like tubular sacs, with an opening (osculum) at the tip. Osculum in american english (ˈɑskjələm) noun word forms: Osculum (ˈɒskjʊləm) or oscule n, pl -la (-lə) (zoology) zoology a mouthlike aperture, esp the opening in a sponge out of which water passes [c17:
The osculum (plural "oscula") is an excretory structure in the living sponge, a large opening to the outside through which the current of water exits after passing through the spongocoel.