ganoid

[ gan-oid ]

/ ˈgæn ɔɪd /

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adjective

of or relating to the Ganoidei, a group of mostly extinct fishes characterized by hard, bony scales, the living species of which include the paddlefishes, sturgeons, and gars.

(of the scale of a fish) having a smooth, shiny surface of ganoin or a similar substance.

noun

a ganoid fish.

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Origin of ganoid

1830–40; <French ganoïde<Greek gán(os) brightness + -oïde-oid

OTHER WORDS FROM ganoid

sub·gan·oid, adjective

Words nearby ganoid

ganja, gank, gannet, Gannett, ganof, ganoid, ganoin, Gansevoort, gansey, Gansu, gantelope

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

How to use ganoid in a sentence

Asterolepis, a genus of primitive ganoid fishes, found only in a fossil state in the Old Red Sandstone.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
There are no doubt some points which require further elucidation amongst the Ganoid and Osseous fishes.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
Pterichthys, ter-ik′this, n. a genus of fossil ganoid fishes in the Old Red Sandstone strata, with wing-like pectoral fins.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
There are seven living kinds of ganoid fish and all are found in fresh water.
Fast Nine|Alan Douglas

From these primitive fishes were evolved higher fishes of the ganoid type and others of the type of Lepidosiren (Dipneusta).
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for ganoid

ganoid

/ (ˈɡænɔɪd) /

adjective

(of the scales of certain fishes) consisting of an inner bony layer and an outer layer of an enamel-like substance (ganoin)

denoting fishes, including the sturgeon and bowfin, having such scales

noun

a ganoid fish

Word Origin for ganoid

C19: from French ganoïde, from Greek ganos brightness + -oid

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