prototherian

American

[proh-tuh-theer-ee-uhn] / ˌproʊ təˈθɪər i ən /

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the group Prototheria, comprising the monotremes.

noun

a prototherian animal.

prototherian British

/ ˌprəʊtəʊˈθɪərɪən /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Prototheria, a subclass of mammals that includes the monotremes

"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

noun

any prototherian mammal; a monotreme

"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 prototherian

1880–85; < New Latin Prototheri ( a ) (< Greek prōto- proto- + thēría, plural of thēríon beast) + -an

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