spongio- Also spongi- and spongo-.
A sponge; sponge-like.
[Latin spongia, from Greek.]
Something spongiform has a porous structure or consistency resembling that of a sponge, as in bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE or mad cow disease), a neural disease which renders the brain spongy. A spongioblastoma (also called a glioblastoma) is a kind of spongy malignant tumour, usually of the brain or optic nerve. Spongin is the horny or fibrous substance found in the skeleton of many sponges. A spongolite is a rock formed almost entirely of siliceous sponge spicules.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.