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prettygoodwordcnidocyst (NAY-duh-sist) - n., the stinging cells of sea anemones, jellyfish, and other cnidarians containing a barbed, threadlike tube that delivers a paralyzing sting when triggered by physical contact.
So, yeah, that's a silent C-, much as with knife -- and in the Ancient Greek root it is indeed a kappa. The spicy part of a cnidocyte a.k.a. cnidoblast, which gives the cnidaria their name. Most dictionaries call this a nematocyst, with cnidocyst as a redirected synonym, but encyclopedias and biology texts prefer cnidocyst. Said Ancient Greek root is knídē, nettle, paired with Ancient Greek kústis, anatomical sac.
---L.
So, yeah, that's a silent C-, much as with knife -- and in the Ancient Greek root it is indeed a kappa. The spicy part of a cnidocyte a.k.a. cnidoblast, which gives the cnidaria their name. Most dictionaries call this a nematocyst, with cnidocyst as a redirected synonym, but encyclopedias and biology texts prefer cnidocyst. Said Ancient Greek root is knídē, nettle, paired with Ancient Greek kústis, anatomical sac.
---L.
