crossopterygian

[ kro-sop-tuh-rij-ee-uhn ]

noun
  1. any fish of the group Crossopterygii, extinct except for the coelacanth, regarded as being ancestral to amphibians and other land vertebrates.

adjective
  1. pertaining to or resembling a crossopterygian.

Origin of crossopterygian

1
1860–65; <New Latin Crossopterygi(i) group name (<Greek kross() tassels, fringe + -o--o- + pterýgi(on) little wing or fin, equivalent to pteryg- (stem of pterýx) wing, fin + -ion diminutive suffix) + -an

Words Nearby crossopterygian

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British Dictionary definitions for crossopterygian

crossopterygian

/ (krɒˌsɒptəˈrɪdʒɪən) /


noun
  1. any bony fish of the subclass Crossopterygii, having fleshy limblike pectoral fins. The group, now mostly extinct, contains the ancestors of the amphibians: See also coelacanth

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Crossopterygii

Origin of crossopterygian

1
C19: from New Latin Crossopterygiī, from Greek krossoi fringe, tassels + pterugion a little wing, from pterux wing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for crossopterygian

crossopterygian

[ krŏ-sŏp′tə-rĭjē-ən ]


  1. Any of a mostly extinct group of lobe-finned fishes of the order Crossopterygii, whose only living member is the coelacanth. One group of crossopterygians is thought to have evolved into terrestrial vertebrates beginning in the Devonian Period. See more at coelacanth.

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