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diphycercal

[ dif-uh-sur-kuhl ]
/ ˌdɪf əˈsɜr kəl /

adjective Ichthyology.

having a tail or caudal fin with the spinal column extending horizontally to the end of the tail, characteristic of lungfish, several other primitive fishes, and the juvenile stage of modern bony fishes.

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Origin of diphycercal

diphy- double (see diphyodont) + Greek kérk(os) a tail + -al1

Words nearby diphycercal

diphtheritic membrane, diphtheroid, diphthong, diphthongia, diphthongize, diphycercal, diphyletic, diphyllobothriasis, Diphyllobothrium, diphyllous, diphyodont
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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British Dictionary definitions for diphycercal

diphycercal
/ (ˌdɪfɪˈsɜːkəl) /

adjective

ichthyol of or possessing a symmetrical or pointed tail with the vertebral column extending to the tip, as in primitive fishes

Word Origin for diphycercal

C19: from Greek diphuēs twofold (from di 1 + phuē growth) + kerkos tail
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