carina
/kəˈraɪnə/
noun
Origin
Latin
carina — keel, ship's bottom
Overview
Meaning Now
- A structure in an organism or anatomical feature resembling a keel, such as the ridge on the breastbone of birds.
- The keel-like ridge on the ventral surface of certain shells or biological structures.
Literal older meaning
keel of a ship
Language path
Latin → English
Earliest form
carina
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term was adopted into the scientific lexicon during the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods as naturalists sought precise Latin terminology to describe the morphology of avian and botanical specimens.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
carīna
“keel of a ship, hull”
- Late Latin
carina
“a ridge or projecting part”
Transition from nautical to biological use.
- Modern English
carina
“anatomical ridge”
Connections
Word parts
carina
root
keel
Related across languages
Italian
carena
hull, keel
French
carène
keel, hull
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Related to carina
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.