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amphioxus
noun
Examples of amphioxus in a Sentence
Word History
borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek amphi- amphi- + oxýs "sharp, keen" — more at oxygen
Note: The genus name Amphioxus was introduced by the English naturalist and bookseller William Yarrell (1784-1856) in A History of British Fishes, vol. 2 (London, 1836), pp. 468-72. The name alludes to the shape of the animal: "both ends pointed," as noted under "generic characters." Yarrell was unaware that the Italian zoologist Gabriele Costa had named the same genus Branchiostoma two years earlier (in Cenni zoologici, ossia descrizione sommaria delle specie nuove di animali, Naples, 1834, p. 49); by rules of taxonomy, the name Branchiostoma hence has priority over Amphioxus.
1837, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near amphioxus
Cite this Entry
“Amphioxus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amphioxus. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
amphioxus
1 of 2 nounAmphioxus
2 of 2 nountaxonomic synonym of branchiostoma
More from Merriam-Webster on amphioxus
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about amphioxus
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