vestigial

[ve-stij-ee-uh l, -stij-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vestigial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or of the nature of a vestige: a vestigial tail.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of vestigial

1880–85; < Latin vestīgi(um) vestige + -al¹

Related formsves·tig·i·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vestigial

Ensembles are of vestigial interest in this new pop culture.
Van Dyke Parks on How Songwriters Are Getting Screwed in the Digital Age|Van Dyke Parks|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such myths, Manchester argues, may be vestigial in the modern era, but they remain vital to the cohesion of a culture.
Three Great Men Died That Day: JFK, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley|John Garth|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Because a foodie is a mouth with a vestigial person attached, one might think so.
The Secret Sex Lives of Chefs|Gael Greene|June 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In the Malacostraca it is absent in the adult, or persists only in a vestigial condition, as in some Decapoda and Schizopoda.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various

Some vestigial maternal instinct prompted Melinda to shake her head vigorously.
Teething Ring|James Causey
Vestigial organs are sometimes pressed into a secondary use when their original function has been lost.
The Story of Evolution|Joseph McCabe
The ulna is vestigial, consisting only of a proximal end ankylosed to the radius.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
There are indications of a vestigial second pair of incisors.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for vestigial

vestigial

adjective

of, relating to, or being a vestige

(of certain organs or parts of organisms) having attained a simple structure and reduced size and function during the evolution of the speciesthe vestigial pelvic girdle of a snake

Derived Formsvestigially, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for vestigial

vestigial

adj.

1877, from vestige + -al (1).

Medicine definitions for vestigial

vestigial

[vĕ-stĭj′ē-əl, -stĭj′əl]

adj.

Occurring or persisting as a rudimentary or degenerate structure.

Science definitions for vestigial

vestigial

[vĕ-stĭj′ē-əl]

Relating to a body part that has become small and lost its use because of evolutionary change. Whales, for example, have small bones located in the muscles of their body walls that are vestigial bones of hips and hind limbs.