plectognath

[ plek-tog-nath ]

/ ˈplɛk tɒgˌnæθ /

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adjective

belonging to the Plectognathi, a group or order of fishes having the teeth fused into a beak and thick, often spiny, scaleless skin, and including the filefish, globefish, puffer, and triggerfish.

noun

a plectognath fish.

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Origin of plectognath

1825–35; <New Latin Plectognathi, plural of Plectognathus, equivalent to plecto- (<Greek plektós plaited, twisted; see -o-) + -gnathus-gnathous

OTHER WORDS FROM plectognath

plec·tog·nath·ic, plec·tog·na·thous

[plek-tog-nuh-thuhs], /plɛkˈtɒg nə θəs/, adjective

Words nearby plectognath

plebe, plebeian, plebiscite, plebs, plecopteran, plectognath, plectron, plectrum, pled, pledge, pledged delegate

British Dictionary definitions for plectognath

plectognath

/ (ˈplɛktɒɡˌnæθ) /

noun

any spiny-finned marine fish of the mainly tropical order Plectognathi (or Tetraodontiformes), having a small mouth, strong teeth, and small gill openings: includes puffers, triggerfish, trunkfish, sunfish, etc

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the order Plectognathi

Word Origin for plectognath

C19: via New Latin from Greek plektos twisted + gnathos jaw

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