Hypertext Webster Gateway: "noctiluca"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Noctiluca \Noc`ti*lu"ca\, n.; pl. {Noctiluc[AE]}. [L. noctiluca
something that shines by night, fr. nox, noctis, night +
lucere to shine, lux light.]
1. (Old Chem.) That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name
for phosphorus.
2. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of marine flagellate Infusoria,
remarkable for their unusually large size and complex
structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The
brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due
to myriads of Noctiluc[ae].
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
noctiluca
n : large bioluminescent marine protozoan [syn: {Noctiluca
miliaris}]
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