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crossopterygian

[ kro-sop-tuh-rij-ee-uhn ]
/ krɒˌsɒp təˈrɪdʒ i ən /

noun

any fish of the group Crossopterygii, extinct except for the coelacanth, regarded as being ancestral to amphibians and other land vertebrates.

adjective

pertaining to or resembling a crossopterygian.

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Origin of crossopterygian

1860–65; <New Latin Crossopterygi(i) group name (<Greek kross(oí) tassels, fringe + -o--o- + pterýgi(on) little wing or fin, equivalent to pteryg- (stem of pterýx) wing, fin + -ion diminutive suffix) + -an

Words nearby crossopterygian

Cross of Gold speech, cross of Lorraine, Cross of Valour, cross one's fingers, cross one's mind, crossopterygian, cross-out, crossover, crossover distortion, crossover network, crossover value
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for crossopterygian

British Dictionary definitions for crossopterygian

crossopterygian
/ (krɒˌsɒptəˈrɪdʒɪən) /

noun

any bony fish of the subclass Crossopterygii, having fleshy limblike pectoral fins. The group, now mostly extinct, contains the ancestors of the amphibiansSee also coelacanth

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Crossopterygii

Word Origin for crossopterygian

C19: from New Latin Crossopterygiī, from Greek krossoi fringe, tassels + pterugion a little wing, from pterux wing
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

Scientific definitions for crossopterygian

crossopterygian
[ krŏ-sŏp′tə-rĭj′ē-ən ]

Any of a mostly extinct group of lobe-finned fishes of the order Crossopterygii, whose only living member is the coelacanth. One group of crossopterygians is thought to have evolved into terrestrial vertebrates beginning in the Devonian Period. See more at coelacanth.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.