anguilliform
|an-gwil-i-form|
🇺🇸
/ænˈɡwɪlɪˌfɔːrm/
🇬🇧
/ænˈɡwɪlɪˌfɔːm/
eel-shaped; eel-like
Etymology
'anguilliform' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'anguilla' meaning 'eel', combined with the suffix '-form' from Latin 'forma' meaning 'shape' or 'form'.
'anguilla' and 'forma' were used in New Latin scientific coinages (e.g., 'Anguilliformes') and subsequently formed the modern English descriptive adjective 'anguilliform'.
Initially, it meant 'eel-shaped' in scientific description, and it continues to carry essentially the same technical sense in modern usage, sometimes extended to biomechanics (locomotion).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having the shape or form of an eel; long, slender, and serpentine.
The specimen has an anguilliform body suited to slipping through narrow crevices.
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Adjective 2
relating to or characteristic of eels or eel-like fishes (especially of the order Anguilliformes).
Several deep-sea species exhibit anguilliform features such as reduced fins and elongated bodies.
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Adjective 3
describing a mode of locomotion in which waves of body curvature pass from head to tail, as in eels.
Eels and many larvae swim with an anguilliform mode of locomotion.
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Last updated: 2025/08/09 18:38