azygobranchiate
|a-zy-go-bran-chi-ate|
🇺🇸
/ˌeɪzɪˌɡoʊˈbræŋkiət/
🇬🇧
/ˌeɪzɪˌɡəʊˈbræŋkiət/
having unpaired gills
Etymology
'azygobranchiate' originates from Greek elements: 'a-' meaning 'not', 'zygos' meaning 'yoked, paired', and 'branchia' meaning 'gill' (through New Latin formation).
'azygobranchiate' was formed in scientific/New Latin usage in zoological descriptions (19th century onward) by combining Greek roots ('a-' + 'zygos' + 'branchia') and has been used in modern English as a technical adjective in taxonomy and anatomy.
Initially coined to describe organisms with unpaired gill structures, it has retained that specialized zoological meaning in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having unpaired gills; possessing a single (non-paired) gill or gill structure (technical zoological term).
The newly described deep-sea specimen is azygobranchiate, with a single median gill rather than paired gills.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/07 03:44