introvert

Definition

An organ or other body part that is or can be turned inside out, especially an anterior portion of some annelid worms capable of retraction.

Etymology

From New Latin intrōvertere, from intro- (“within”) and vertere (“to turn”). Popularized as a psychological term by the German works of Carl Jung. By surface analysis, intro- + -vert.

Example Sentences

• "Important distinctions which obtain amongst the various ‘introverts’ or intro- and e-versible tubes so frequently met with in animal bodies."
• "Peanut worms (phylum Sipunculida) are drab-colored bottom dwellers, most of which are less then four inches long. Their body is divided into two sections: the trunk and the introvert. The introvert, the narrow neck-like anterior section, is used as a probe."
• "When a peanut worm feeds, it extends and waves its introvert so that the mouth at the tip wanders across the seabed."

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