anisognathic
|a-ni-so-gnath-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌænɪsoʊˈnæθɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌænɪsəˈnæθɪk/
unequal jaws
Etymology
'anisognathic' originates from Modern New Latin/Greek formation, specifically from Greek 'anisos' and 'gnathos', where 'anisos' meant 'unequal' and 'gnathos' meant 'jaw'.
'anisognathic' was formed in modern scientific vocabulary by combining the Greek elements 'anisos' + 'gnathos' (via New Latin/Neo-Latin formations such as 'anisognathus') and was later Anglicized to the English adjective 'anisognathic'.
Initially it meant 'having unequal jaws' in technical anatomical/zoological contexts, and this specific technical meaning has been retained in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having jaws of unequal size; especially used in zoology/anatomy to describe organisms whose upper and lower or left and right jaws differ in size.
Many fish species are anisognathic, with upper and lower jaws of different sizes adapted to their feeding habits.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/17 19:25