'Janthina' definitions:
Definition of 'janthina'
From: GCIDE
- Ianthina \I*an"thi*na\, n.; pl. L. Ianthin[ae], E. Ianthinas. [NL., fr. L. ianthinus violet-blue, Gr. ?; ? violet + ? flower.] (Zool.) Any gastropod of the genus Ianthina, of which various species are found living in mid ocean; -- called also {purple shell}, and violet snail. [Written also janthina.] [1913 Webster]
- Note: It floats at the surface by means of a raft, which it constructs by forming and uniting together air bubbles of hardened mucus. The Tyrian purple of the ancients was obtained in part from mollusks of this genus. [1913 Webster]