heterocercal

[ het-er-uh-sur-kuh l ]
/ ˌhɛt ər əˈsɜr kəl /

adjective Ichthyology.

having an unequally divided tail, characteristic of sharks, rays, and skates.
Compare diphycercal, homocercal.

Origin of heterocercal

1830–40; hetero- + Greek kérk(os) a tail + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM heterocercal

het·er·o·cer·cal·i·ty [het-er-oh-ser-kal-i-tee] /ˌhɛt ər oʊ sərˈkæl ɪ ti/, noun

Words nearby heterocercal

heteroatom, heteroauxin, heteroblastic, heterocarpy, heterocellular, heterocercal, heterochlamydeous, heterochromatic, heterochromatin, heterochrome, heterochromia

Example sentences from the Web for heterocercal

British Dictionary definitions for heterocercal

heterocercal
/ (ˌhɛtərəʊˈsɜːkəl) /

adjective

ichthyol of or possessing a tail in which the vertebral column turns upwards and extends into the upper, usually larger, lobe, as in sharks Compare homocercal

Word Origin for heterocercal

C19: from hetero- + Greek kerkos tail