Peristome

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Peristome \Per"i*stome\ (p[-e]r"[i^]*st[=o]m), n. [Pref. peri- +
     Gr. sto`ma, sto`matos, mouth.]
     1. (Bot.) The fringe of teeth around the orifice of the
        capsule of mosses. It consists of 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64
        teeth, and may be either single or double.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. (Zool.)
        (a) The lip, or edge of the aperture, of a spiral shell.
        (b) The membrane surrounding the mouth of an invertebrate
            animal.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  peristome
       n 1: (botany) fringe of toothlike appendages surrounding the
            mouth of a moss capsule
       2: region around the mouth in various invertebrates