cyclostome

[ sahy-kluh-stohm, sik-luh- ]

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Cyclostomata, a subclass of jawless, eellike, marine vertebrates of the class Agnatha, comprising the lampreys and hagfishes.
2. having a circular mouth.

noun

1. a cyclostome vertebrate; a lamprey or hagfish.

cyclostome

/ saɪˈklɒstəmɪt; ˈsɪk-; ˌsɪk-; ˌsaɪkləʊˈstɒmətəs; ˈsaɪkləˌstəʊm; -ˈstəʊmə-; -ˌmeɪt /

noun

1. any primitive aquatic jawless vertebrate of the class Cyclostomata, such as the lamprey and hagfish, having a round sucking mouth and pouchlike gills

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the class Cyclostomata

cyclostome

/ sī′klə-stōm′ /

1. Any of various jawless fish of the order Cyclostomata, having a long, eellike body without scales, a cartilaginous skeleton, and a disklike mouth used for sucking juices from prey. Cyclostomes include the hagfish and lampreys, although some scientists classify these two groups as separate orders.

Derived Forms

• cyclostomate, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyclostome¹

First recorded in 1825–35; cyclo- + -stome

Example Sentences

The cyclostome fishes have, so far, been discovered only in Scotland, in the tiny Palaeospondylus.

From Project Gutenberg

Primo, the cyclostomes, whose jaws are fused into a flexible ring and whose gill openings are simply a large number of holes, an order consisting of only one family.

From Project Gutenberg