meristic

American

[muh-ris-tik] / məˈrɪs tɪk /

adjective

Biology.

of, relating to, or divided into segments or somites.

meristic British

/ məˈrɪstɪk /

adjective

of or relating to the number of organs or parts in an animal or plant body

meristic variation
segmented

meristic worms

"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

Etymology

Origin of meristic

First recorded in 1890–95, meristic is from the Greek word meristikós of division. See meristem, -ic

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.

Variations in the number of vertebrae and other meristic characters of fishes correlated with the temperature of water during development.

From Geographic Variation in the North American Cyprinid Fish, Hybopsis gracilis by Cross, Frank B.

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