ganoid

[ gan-oid ]

/ ˈgæn ɔɪd /

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.

Nearby words

gank, gannet, gannett, gannett, henry, ganof, ganoid, ganoin, ganser's syndrome, gansevoort, gansevoort, peter, gansey

Origin of ganoid

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

Related formssub·gan·oid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ganoid

Louis Agassiz distinguished four kinds of scales—placoid, ganoid, cycloid and ctenoid.
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life|Ernest Ingersoll
The distinctions between cycloid and ctenoid scales, between placoid and ganoid fishes, are vague, and can hardly be maintained.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3|Various
Dura Den, a glen near Cupar-Fife, famous for the number of ganoid fossil fishes entombed in its sandstone.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood
They are not, however, relatively so large as in other Ganoid forms, more especially the Chondrostei and Polypterus.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

Another American ganoid is Amia calva, the dog-fish or bow-fin, which is very numerous in Western rivers.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 1|Various

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