ganoid

American  

[gan-oid] / ˈgæn ɔɪd /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Ganoidei, a group of mostly extinct fishes characterized by hard, bony scales, the living species of which include the paddlefishes, sturgeons, and gars.

2. (of the scale of a fish) having a smooth, shiny surface of ganoin or a similar substance.

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noun

1. a ganoid fish.

ganoid British  

/ ˈɡænɔɪd /

adjective

1. (of the scales of certain fishes) consisting of an inner bony layer and an outer layer of an enamel-like substance (ganoin)

2. denoting fishes, including the sturgeon and bowfin, having such scales

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noun

1. a ganoid fish

Other Word Forms

• subganoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of ganoid

1830–40; < French ganoïde < Greek gán ( os ) brightness + -oïde -oid

Example Sentences

An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

Fishes, ganoid, now confined to fresh water, 107. ——, electric organs of, 192. ——, ganoid, living in fresh water, 321. —— of southern hemisphere, 376.

From On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. (2nd edition) by Darwin, Charles

In the embryo of the cod or perch the backbone has, at an early stage, the same position as in the shark or ganoid; only at a later stage does it attain its definite position.

From The Whence and the Whither of Man A Brief History of His Origin and Development through Conformity to Environment; Being the Morse Lectures of 1895 by Tyler, John Mason

E. of Cupar, have been found great quantities of fossils of ganoid fishes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

The fishes exchanged their ganoid breast-plate for scales.

From Creative Evolution by Mitchell, Arthur