the larva of many crustaceans, having a rounded unsegmented body with three pairs of limbs
Word origin
C19: from Latin: type of shellfish, from Greek Nauplios, one of the sons of Poseidon
nauplius in American English
(ˈnɔpliəs)
nounWord forms: pluralˈnaupliˌi (ˈnɔpliˌaɪ)
the first larval stage in the development of certain crustaceans, typically unsegmented with only three pairs of appendages, all on the head, and an unpaired median eye
Word origin
L, kind of shellfish < Gr nauplios, kind of shellfish said to sail in its shell as in a ship < naus, ship (see navy) + pleiein, to sail