acephalous

[ ey-sef-uh-luhs ]

/ eɪˈsɛf ə ləs /

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adjective

Also a·ce·phal·ic

[ey-suh-fal-ik]. /ˌeɪ səˈfæl ɪk/. Zoology. headless; lacking a distinct head.

without a leader or ruler.

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Origin of acephalous

1725–35; <Greek aképhalos;see a-⁶, -cephalous

Words nearby acephalous

acellular vaccine, acenesthesia, acentric, -aceous, ace out, acephalous, acephate, ace point, acequia, acer, aceramic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acephalous in a sentence

Based in Southeast Nigeria, this industrious and acephalous group has attracted a lot of attention from research in recent years.
What Silicon Valley could learn from Nigeria’s Igbo entrepreneurs|Nnamdi Madichie|April 29, 2021|Quartz
Its cercari are usually found in an acephalous mollusc, known by the name of Cyclas cornea.
Animal Parasites and Messmates|P. J. Van Beneden
He found it more 'acephalous' than ever; 'less order; less unity of purpose.'
The Life of William Ewart Gladstone, Vol. 1 (of 3)|John Morley
Such is a summary description of all the Acephalous Molluscs.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

I cannot imagine anything more manifestly made to be a tyranny than such an acephalous aristocracy.
What I Saw in America|G. K. Chesterton
Almost all bivalve shells, or those of acephalous mollusca, are marine, about ten only out of ninety genera being freshwater.
A Manual of Elementary Geology|Charles Lyell.

British Dictionary definitions for acephalous

acephalous

/ (əˈsɛfələs) /

adjective

having no head or one that is reduced and indistinct, as certain insect larvae

having or recognizing no ruler or leader

Word Origin for acephalous

C18: via Medieval Latin from Greek akephalos. See a- 1, -cephalic

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