definitions

branchiostegal

[ brang-kee-os-ti-guh l ]
/ 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.

Nearby words

branching, branchio-, branchiomotor nuclei, branchiopneustic, branchiopod, branchiostegal, branchiostegous, branchlet, branchus, brancusi, brand

Origin of branchiostegal

First recorded in 1740–50; branchio- + steg(o)- + -al1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for branchiostegal

  • 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

  • To the cerato-hyal are attached a series of seven strong curved cylindrical rods, the branchiostegal rays.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

  • The mouth and branchial cavity were very much distended, rounding out and distorting the whole hyoid and branchiostegal region.

    A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan

  • 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

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