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acanthopterygian

[ak-uh n-thop-tuh-rij-ee-uh n]
adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the Acanthopterygii (Acanthopteri), the group of spiny-finned fishes, including the bass and perch.
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noun
  1. an acanthopterygian fish.
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Origin of acanthopterygian

1825–35; < New Latin Acanthopterygi(i) (acantho- acantho- + Greek pterýgi(on) small wing, fin + Latin -ī masculine plural ending) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for acanthopterygian

Historical Examples of acanthopterygian

  • Acanthopterygian, ak-an-thop-tėr-ij′i-an, adj. having spiny fins.

    Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for acanthopterygian

acanthopterygian

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Acanthopterygii, a large group of teleost fishes having spiny fin rays. The group includes most saltwater bony fishes
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noun
  1. any fish belonging to the Acanthopterygii
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Compare malacopterygian

Word Origin for acanthopterygian

C19: from New Latin Acanthopterygii, from acantho- + Greek pterúgion fin
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
acanthopterygian in Science

acanthopterygian

[ăk′ən-thŏp′tə-rĭj′ē-ən]
  1. Any of a large group of teleost fishes of the superorder Acanthopterygii, having spiny rays in the dorsal and anal fins and including the bass, perch, mackerel, and swordfish.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.