bichir

American

[bich-er] / ˈbɪtʃ ər /

noun

any of several primitive freshwater African fishes of the genus Polypterus having functional lungs as well as gills.

Etymology

Origin of bichir

Probably earlier than 1965–70; < French < dialectal Arabic abu shīr

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The researchers also sequenced the bichir, an elongated, air-breathing, ray-finned fish that lives in the shallows of tropical African rivers, as well as the American paddlefish, the bowfin, and the alligator gar.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 10, 2021

Analyzing the spiracles of the living bichir Polypterus, we showed that they are instrumental in breathing air.

From Scientific American • Jun. 17, 2020

An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023