Standard Lemma guide

nauplius

name · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈnɔː.plɪ.əs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈnɔ.pli.əs/
  • General-American: /ˈnɑ-/

1

name

Meaning 1

A son of the god Poseidon by Amymone, daughter of Danaus, and founder of the city of Nauplia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A descendant of the founder of Nauplia who ruled the city (alternatively, Euboea), was one of the Argonauts, and was father to Palamedes, who fought in the Trojan War.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A crustacean larva that has three pairs of locomotive organs (corresponding to antennules, antennae, and mandibles), a median eye, and little or no segmentation of the body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

] Borrowed from New Latin Nauplius (former genus name) (coined by Danish naturalist Otto Friedrich Müller (1730–1784) who mistakenly thought the larvae were a separate genus of animal), from Latin nauplius (“argonaut, paper nautilus (genus Argonauta)”), from Ancient Greek ναύπλιος (naúplios, “type of shellfish”), from ναῦς (naûs, “ship”) + πλέω (pléō, “to sail”); compare Latin Nauplius (“mythological king of Euboea”), from Ancient Greek Ναύπλιος (Naúplios, “mythological founder of the city of Nauplia (Nafplio), a son of Poseidon and Amymone”). The plural nauplii is from Latin nauplius + -iī (plural of -ius).

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: nauplius — crustacean larva
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無節幼體 /无节幼体 (wújiéyòutǐ) — crustacean larva
  • Italian: nauplio — crustacean larva
  • Lithuanian: nauplijus — crustacean larva
  • Polish: nauplius — crustacean larva
  • Romanian: nauplius — crustacean larva
  • Spanish: nauplio — crustacean larva