pecten
(redirected from pectinations)Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia.
pec·ten
(pĕk′tən)n. pl. pec·tens or pec·ti·nes (-tə-nēz′)
1. A body structure or organ resembling a comb, such as a pleated vascularized structure in a bird's eye that projects into the vitreous humor from the retina.
2. A scallop of the genus Pecten.
[Latin pecten, pectin-, comb.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pecten
(ˈpɛktɪn)n, pl -tens or -tines (-tɪˌniːz)
1. (Zoology) a comblike structure in the eye of birds and reptiles, consisting of a network of blood vessels projecting inwards from the retina, which it is thought to supply with oxygen
2. (Anatomy) any other comblike part or organ
3. (Animals) any scallop of the genus Pecten, which swim by expelling water from their shell valves in a series of snapping motions
[C18: from Latin: a comb, from pectere, related to Greek pekein to comb]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pec•ten
(ˈpɛk tən)n., pl. -tens, -ti•nes (-təˌniz)
1. a comblike part or process.
2. a pigmented vascular membrane with parallel folds suggesting the teeth of a comb, projecting into the vitreous humor of the eye in birds and reptiles.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pecten comb, rake, scallop, akin to pectere, Greek pékein to comb, card]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.