diphycercal

[ dif-uh-sur-kuhl ]

/ ˌdɪf əˈsɜr kəl /

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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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Compare homocercal, heterocercal.

Origin of diphycercal

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

Words nearby diphycercal

diphtheritic, diphtheroid, diphthong, diphthongia, diphthongize, diphycercal, diphyletic, diphyllous, diphyodont, dip into, dipl.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diphycercal in a sentence

In Dipterus there are no marginal teeth, and the tail is heterocercal, not diphycercal, as in the other Dipnoans generally.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
In the Ctenodontidæ the tail is diphycercal, and no jugular plates are present in the known specimens.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
The tail is diphycercal in all, ending in a long point, and the body is covered with cycloid scales.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
The tail is heterocercal, but in some cases (Squatina) approaches the diphycercal condition.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

The blade of the caudal fin is then divided into two nearly equal portions, and is said to be diphycercal.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

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