heterocercal

[ het-er-uh-sur-kuhl ]

/ ˌhɛt ər əˈsɜr kəl /

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adjective Ichthyology.

having an unequally divided tail, characteristic of sharks, rays, and skates.

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Compare diphycercal, homocercal.

Origin of heterocercal

1830–40; hetero- + Greek kérk(os) a tail + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM heterocercal

het·er·o·cer·cal·i·ty

[het-er-oh-ser-kal-i-tee], /ˌhɛt ər oʊ sərˈkæl ɪ ti/, noun

Words nearby heterocercal

heteroaromatic, heteroatom, heteroauxin, heteroblastic, heterocarpy, heterocercal, heterochlamydeous, heterochromatic, heterochromatin, heterochrome, heterochromosome

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

How to use heterocercal in a sentence

The tail is asymmetrical (heterocercal), and numerous placoid scales (dermal denticles) are embedded in the skin.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The tail is slender and heterocercal, the caudal fin deeply forked.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
The slender body is covered with small scales and ends in a heterocercal tail.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
Jugular plates are present, and the tail is usually distinctly heterocercal.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan

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

British Dictionary definitions for heterocercal

heterocercal

/ (ˌhɛtərəʊˈsɜːkəl) /

adjective

ichthyol of or possessing a tail in which the vertebral column turns upwards and extends into the upper, usually larger, lobe, as in sharksCompare homocercal

Word Origin for heterocercal

C19: from hetero- + Greek 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