‖ sustentaculum
(sʌstɛnˈtækjʊləm)
Pl. -a.
[L., f. sustentāre: see sustentate and -cule.]
a. Anat. A sustaining or supporting part or organ (only in L. phr., as sustentaculum lienis, tali). b. Zool.: see quot. 1838.
| 1838 Blackwall in Trans. Linnean Soc. (1841) XVIII. 224 note, A strong, moveable spine inserted near the termination of the tarsus of each posterior leg, on the under side, in spiders belonging to the genus Epeira, which I propose to denominate sustentaculum. 1882 Cassell's Nat. Hist. VI. 178 In this operation many species are aided by peculiar spines (called sustentacula) attached to the last joints of the posterior legs. |