Tec`ti*bran`chi*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. tectus (p.p. of tegere to cover) + Gr. a gill.] Zool.
An order, or suborder, of gastropod Mollusca in which the gills are usually situated on one side of the back, and protected by a fold of the mantle. When there is a shell, it is usually thin and delicate and often rudimentary. The aplysias and the bubble shells are examples.
© Webster 1913.