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coelacanth

coe·la·canth
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [see-luh-kanth]
    • /ˈsi ləˌkænθ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [see-luh-kanth]
    • /ˈsi ləˌkænθ/

Definitions of coelacanth word

  • noun coelacanth a primitive marine bony fish of the genus Latimeria (subclass Crossopterygii), having fleshy limblike pectoral fins and occurring off the coast of E Africa: thought to be extinct until a living specimen was discovered in 1938 3
  • noun coelacanth any of an order (Coelacanthiformes) of lobefin fishes, now extinct except for the latimeria 3
  • noun coelacanth a crossopterygian fish, Latimeria chalumnae, thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous Period but found in 1938 off the coast of southern Africa. 1
  • noun coelacanth A large, bony marine fish with a three-lobed tail fin and fleshy pectoral fins. It is thought to be related to the ancestors of land vertebrates and was known only from fossils until one was found alive in 1938; since then others have been found near the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean and off Sulawesi, Indonesia. 1
  • noun coelacanth Either of two species of deep-water fish, Latimeria chalumnae of the Indian Ocean and Latimeria menadoensis of Indonesia. 0
  • noun coelacanth Any lobe-finned fish in the order Coelacanthiformes, thought until 1938 to have been extinct for 70 million years. 0
See all 6 definitions of coelacanth

Information block about the term

Origin of coelacanth

First appearance:

before 1605
One of the 40% oldest English words
1605-15; < New Latin Coelacanthus originally a genus name, equivalent to coel- coel- + Greek -akanthos -spined, -thorned, adj. derivative of ákantha spine, thorn

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Coelacanth

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Coelacanth

coelacanth popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 81% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

coelacanth usage trend in Literature

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Top questions with coelacanth

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  • how to catch a coelacanth in animal crossing?
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  • why is the coelacanth endangered?

Related words

  • crossopterygian

    any bony fish of the subclass Crossopterygii, having fleshy limblike pectoral fins. The group, now mostly extinct, contains the ancestors of the amphibians

  • living fossil

    an organism that is a living example of an otherwise extinct group and that has remained virtually unchanged in structure and function over a long period of time, as the coelacanth and the horseshoe crab.

  • lobe-finned fish

    any fish that has rounded scales and lobed fins, as the coelacanth.

  • ray-finned fish

    any of various bony fishes of the subclass Actinopterygii, having strong slender rays, excluding the coelacanth and lungfish.
All related words to coelacanth

See also

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