lateral line
the line, or system of lines, of sensory structures along the head and sides of fishes and amphibians, by which the animal is believed to detect water current and pressure changes and vibrations.
Origin of lateral line
1Words Nearby lateral line
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use lateral line in a sentence
This area, called the lateral line, is believed to be sensitive to mechanical stimuli of certain sorts.
A Civic Biology | George William HunterOblique lines, of the darker color of the back, running forward and downward to a little below the lateral line.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom PayneBelow the lateral line are a number of small spots forming irregular lines running backward and upward.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom PayneIt rapidly thins out posteriorly and also approaches closer and closer to the lateral line.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourThe tubular form is due to a hollowing out of the lateral line itself and a rearrangement of its cells.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
Scientific definitions for lateral line
A series of tubelike canals along the head and sides of fish and some amphibians by which vibrations, as from water currents, and changes in pressure are detected.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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