glass-rope

2 definitions found

glass-rope - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Glass-rope \Glass"-rope`\, n. (Zool.)
     A remarkable vitreous sponge, of the genus Hyalonema, first
     brought from Japan. It has a long stem, consisting of a
     bundle of long and large, glassy, siliceous fibers, twisted
     together.
     [1913 Webster]

  Hyalonema \Hy`a*lo*ne"ma\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. "y`alos glass + ? a
     thread.] (Zool.)
     A genus of hexactinelline sponges, having a long stem
     composed of very long, slender, transparent, siliceous fibres
     twisted together like the strands of a color. The stem of the
     Japanese species (Hyalonema Sieboldii), called
     glass-rope, has long been in use as an ornament. See
     Glass-rope.
     [1913 Webster]