lancelet

American  

[lans-lit, lahns-] / ˈlæns lɪt, ˈlɑns- /

noun

1. any of several small, lancet-shaped burrowing marine animals of the subphylum Cephalochordata, having a notochord and bearing structural similarities to both vertebrates and invertebrates.

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lancelet British  

/ ˈlɑːnslɪt /

noun

1. Also called: amphioxus.  any of several marine animals of the genus Branchiostoma (formerly Amphioxus ), esp B. lanceolatus, that are closely related to the vertebrates: subphylum Cephalochordata (cephalochordates)

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lancelet Scientific  

/ lăns′lĭt /

1. Any of various small, transparent, fishlike marine organisms of the subphylum Cephalochordata that are related to vertebrates but have a notochord instead of a true backbone. Unlike other primitive chordates, lancelets have a body divided into serially repeated muscular segments.

2. Also called amphioxus

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Etymology

Origin of lancelet

First recorded in 1565–75; lance ² + -let

Example Sentences

Molecular studies of fruit fly, lancelet, human, and nematode show that homologous genes, when present, are strongly conserved.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The lancelet branched off first, followed by the shark, then the ostrich, then the snake and then the frog.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The lancelet is a chordate, fish-like filter feeder that buries itself in marine sands.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Figure 2: Clustering of Hox genes in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, polychaete annelid Capitella teleta, fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, lancelet Branchiostoma floridae and Homo sapiens.

From Nature • Oct. 3, 2012

By "launces" the writer meant what we should now call the lancelet.

From The Cornwall Coast by Salmon, Arthur L. (Arthur Leslie)