SINCE 1828
crossopterygian
noun
cros·sop·ter·yg·ian
| \ ˌkrȯ-ˌsäp-tə-ˈri-j(ē-)ən
\
\
Definition of crossopterygian
: any of a subclass (Crossopterygii) of bony fishes (such as a coelacanth) that have paired fins suggesting limbs, that may be ancestral to the terrestrial vertebrates, and that are mostly extinct
— called also lobe-fin
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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