crossopterygian

[ kro-sop-tuh-rij-ee-uhn ]

noun

1. any fish of the group Crossopterygii, extinct except for the coelacanth, regarded as being ancestral to amphibians and other land vertebrates.

adjective

1. pertaining to or resembling a crossopterygian.

crossopterygian

/ krɒˌsɒptəˈrɪdʒɪən /

noun

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

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Crossopterygii

crossopterygian

/ krŏ-sŏp′tə-rĭj′ē-ən /

1. Any of a mostly extinct group of lobe-finned fishes of the order Crossopterygii, whose only living member is the coelacanth. One group of crossopterygians is thought to have evolved into terrestrial vertebrates beginning in the Devonian Period.
2. See more at coelacanth

Word History and Origins

Origin of crossopterygian¹

1860–65; < New Latin Crossopterygi ( i ) group name (< Greek kross ( oí ) tassels, fringe + -o- -o- + pterýgi ( on ) little wing or fin, equivalent to pteryg- (stem of pterýx ) wing, fin + -ion diminutive suffix) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of crossopterygian¹

C19: from New Latin Crossopterygiī, from Greek krossoi fringe, tassels + pterugion a little wing, from pterux wing

Example Sentences

Left forelimb, showing characters of both a crossopterygian fin and an amphibian foot.

From Project Gutenberg

Posteriorly, there is a short, broad expansion resembling the entepicondyle of the humerus, and even more nearly like the postaxial flanges in a crossopterygian fin.

From Project Gutenberg

In addition to this remarkable combination of crossopterygian and amphibian characters, Hesperoherpeton is specialized in certain features of the skull.

From Project Gutenberg