crossopterygian

[ kro-sop-tuh-rij-ee-uhn ]

/ krɒˌsɒp təˈrɪdʒ i ən /

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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. 2023

How to use crossopterygian in a sentence

With these remains are found also scales possibly belonging to a Crossopterygian fish (Eriptychius).
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
The braincase of the Carboniferous crossopterygian Megalichthys nitidus.
A New Order of Fishlike Amphibia From the Pennsylvanian of Kansas|Theodore H. Eaton
These are found in the garpike and in many genera of extinct Ganoid and Crossopterygian fishes.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
In every modern Dipnoan, Crossopterygian, and Ganoid the air-bladder has an effective pneumatic duct.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan

It is not unlikely that the Crossopterygian gave rise to Amphibian and Dipnoan alike.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan

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.