gnathostome
|gnath-o-stome|
🇺🇸
/ˈnæθəstoʊm/
🇬🇧
/ˈnæθəstəʊm/
jawed (mouth)
Etymology
'gnathostome' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'gnāthostóma' (γναθοστόμα), where 'gnath-' meant 'jaw' and 'stoma' meant 'mouth'.
'gnāthostóma' passed into New Latin as 'Gnathostomata' (the taxonomic name for jawed vertebrates) and from there English formed the noun 'gnathostome' to refer to an individual jawed vertebrate.
Initially, it literally described the anatomical combination 'jaw-mouth'; over time it became the technical term for the clade of jawed vertebrates (Gnathostomata).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a jawed vertebrate; a member of the group Gnathostomata, which includes fishes with jaws and all terrestrial vertebrates.
Sharks and bony fishes are examples of gnathostomes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/21 10:00