squamation

American

[skwey-mey-shuhn] / skweɪˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

the state of being squamate.
the arrangement of the squamae or scales of an animal.

squamation British

/ skweɪˈmeɪʃən /

noun

the condition of having or forming scales or squamae
the arrangement of scales in fishes or reptiles

"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 squamation

First recorded in 1880–85; squam- + -ation

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.

Freshness of water again will not explain the difference of the structure and distribution of scales in Flounder and Plaice, considering the variety of squamation in fishes confined to fresh water.

From Project Gutenberg

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