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gill slit

American  
[gil] / gɪl /

noun

  1. branchial cleft.

gill slit British  
/ ɡɪl /

noun

  1. any of a series of paired linear openings to the exterior from the sides of the pharynx in fishes and some amphibians. They contain the gills

"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
gill slit Scientific  

  1. In primitive chordates and cartilaginous fish, such as sharks, one of several narrow external openings connecting with the pharynx through which water passes to the exterior, thereby bathing the gills. Bony fish and all other vertebrates, including humans, have rudimentary gill slits during their embryonic stage.

Etymology

Origin of gill slit

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I got one very big one by the gill slit, but could not manage him and had to let him go.

From The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.