antefurcal
|an-te-fur-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tɪˈfɜr.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈfɜː.kəl/
before a fork
Etymology
'antefurcal' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'ante-' meaning 'before' and the word 'furca' meaning 'fork'.
'Antefurcal' was formed in New Latin/modern scientific Latin (e.g. as 'antefurcalis') for use in anatomical and entomological descriptions and was adopted into English usage with the form 'antefurcal'.
Initially it meant 'located before a fork' in descriptive anatomy/entomology, and this technical meaning has been preserved in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
situated or occurring before a fork or bifurcation, especially referring to veins or crossveins in insect wings.
The antefurcal crossvein lies just before the fork in the wing vein.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/21 22:06