Word Study
autotomy
CIDE DICTIONARY
autotomy, n.
spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw or a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack. [WordNet 1.5]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
autotomy, n. Zool. the casting off of a part of the body when threatened, e.g. the tail of a lizard.
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