branchial cleft
noun
Zoology.
one of a series of slitlike openings in the walls of the pharynx between the branchial arches of fishes and aquatic amphibians through which water passes from the pharynx to the exterior.
Also called
visceral cleft.
Words nearby branchial cleft
branchi-,
branchia,
branchial,
branchial arch,
branchial cell,
branchial cleft,
branchial duct,
branchial groove,
branchial pouch,
branchiate,
branchiform
Medical definitions for branchial cleft
branchial cleft
n.
One of a bilateral series of slitlike openings into the pharynx through which water is drawn by aquatic animals.
Any of the homologous branchialectodermal grooves of the mammalian embryo.