acanthodian

[ ak-uhn-thoh-dee-uhn ]

noun

1. any small, spiny-finned, sharklike fish of the extinct order Acanthodii, from the Paleozoic Era.

Word History and Origins

Origin of acanthodian¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from New Latin Acanthodi(i), plural of acanthodius (equivalent to Acanthod(es), a genus name (from Greek akanthṓdēs “prickly, spiny”) + Latin -ius ) + -an; acantho-, -ode ¹

Example Sentences

There is no evidence that the lateral row of spines in the acanthodian Climatius has any other than a defensive significance.

From Project Gutenberg