English
madreporite
From madrepore + -ite; the echinoderm sense is in reference to how it resembles the coral.
Formed from madrepore + -ite
Latin porus
Latin mater ‘mother’
Italian madre ‘mother’
Italian madrepora
French madrépore ‘a coral of the genus Madrepora or of the…’
English madrepore
The story
From madrepore + -ite; the echinoderm sense is in reference to how it resembles the coral.
Today it means
noun A calcareous opening in the body of echinoderms which connects the water vascular system to the environment.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / madreporite