cephalous

¹ American  

[sef-uh-luhs] / ˈsɛf ə ləs /

adjective

1. having a head.

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-cephalous ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “having a head or heads” of the specified sort or number.

   brachycephalous.

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Usage

What does -cephalous mean? The combining form -cephalous is used like a suffix meaning “having a head or heads.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms.The form -cephalous comes from the Greek kephalḗ, meaning “head.”What are variants of -cephalous?A variant of -cephalous is -cephalic, as in monocephalic.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use -cephalic article.Corresponding forms of -cephalous combined to the beginning of words are cephalo- and cephal-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use articles for each form.Also deriving from kephalḗ are the combining forms encephalo- and encephal-, meaning “brain.” Discover how these forms are used in our Words That Use encephalo- and encephal- articles.

Etymology

Origin of cephalous¹

First recorded in 1870–75; cephal- + -ous

Origin of -cephalous²

< Greek -kephalos -headed, derivative of kephalḗ head; -ous

Example Sentences

He shewed how the widely different groups of cephalous molluscs could be conceived as modifications of this structure, and extended the conception so as to cover all other molluscs.

From Thomas Henry Huxley; A Sketch Of His Life And Work by Mitchell, P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers)

The anatomy of many of the cephalous molluscs was known, but the relation of structures present in one to structures present in another group had not been settled.

From Thomas Henry Huxley; A Sketch Of His Life And Work by Mitchell, P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers)

The shell-fish with which he dealt specially were those distinguished as cephalous, because, unlike creatures such as the oyster and mussel, they had something readily comparable with the head of vertebrates.

From Thomas Henry Huxley; A Sketch Of His Life And Work by Mitchell, P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers)