osteichthyan

noun

os·​te·​ich·​thy·​an ˌä-stē-ˈik-thē-ən How to pronounce osteichthyan (audio)
variants or less commonly osteichthian
plural osteichthyans also osteichthians
: a fish of the class Osteichthyes : a bony fish
Extant jawed vertebrates, or gnathostomes, fall into two major monophyletic groups, namely chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes) and osteichthyans (bony fishes and tetrapods).—Hector Botella et al., Nature, 2 Aug. 2007
osteichthyan adjective
or less commonly osteichthian
osteichthyan fishes

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of osteichthyan was in 1967

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Dictionary Entries Near osteichthyan

osteal

osteichthyan

Osteichthyes

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Cite this Entry

“Osteichthyan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/osteichthyan. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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