Coelacanth Definition
sēlə-kănth
coelacanths
noun
coelacanths
Any of various mostly extinct lobe-finned fishes of the group Coelacanthiformes or Actinistia, known only in fossil form until a living species, Latimeria chalumnae, was identified in 1938. A second Latimeria species was described in 1999.
American Heritage
Any of an order (Coelacanthiformes) of lobefin fishes, now extinct except for the latimeria.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- Latimeria chalumnae
Origin of Coelacanth
-
New Latin Coelacanthus former genus name Greek koilos hollow –coel Greek akantha spine (in reference to the hollow spines of the fins)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Ancient Greek κοῖλος (koilos, “hollow”) + ἄκανθα (akantha, “spine”).
From Wiktionary
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