branchiostegal

[ brang-kee-os-ti-guhl ]

/ ˌbræŋ kiˈɒs tɪ gəl /

Ichthyology

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noun

Also called branchiostegal ray . one of the long, curved bones just below the operculum, supporting the gill membranes.

adjective

of or relating to the branchiostegals.

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Origin of branchiostegal

First recorded in 1740–50; branchio- + steg(o)- + -al¹

Words nearby branchiostegal

branching, branch instruction, branchio-, branchiopneustic, branchiopod, branchiostegal, branchiostegous, branchlet, branch line, branch off, branch officer

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

How to use branchiostegal in a sentence

These are the bones connected with respiration—the operculum, the branchiostegal rays, the branchial arches, and others.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
The branchiostegal rays of the two sides are united in front by an unpaired membrane bone, the basi-branchiostegal (fig. 11, 36).
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Attached to the lower surface of the hyoid arch are a series of twelve flat branchiostegal rays (fig. 11, 35).
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
To the cerato-hyal are attached a series of seven strong curved cylindrical rods, the branchiostegal rays.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

The branchial arches, generally five in number, all of which except the last bear branchiostegal rays.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for branchiostegal

branchiostegal

/ (ˌbræŋkɪəˈstiːɡəl) /

adjective

zoology of or relating to the operculum covering the gill slits of fishbranchiostegal membrane; branchiostegal rays

Word Origin for branchiostegal

from branchia + Greek stegos roof

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