nonamniote
|non-am-ni-ote|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈæmniət/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈæmniət/
not an amniote; lacks an amnion
Etymology
'nonamniote' is a modern English formation combining the prefix 'non-' (from Old English/Proto-Germanic elements meaning 'not') and 'amniote'; 'amniote' ultimately comes from New Latin 'Amniota' and the Greek word 'amnion' meaning 'membrane (around the embryo)'.
'amniote' entered scientific vocabulary from New Latin 'Amniota', from Greek 'amnion' ('membrane'); 'nonamniote' arose by prefixing English 'non-' to 'amniote' in zoological contexts (mainly 19th–20th century) to denote taxa that are not amniotes.
Initially coined to mean 'not an amniote' (i.e., lacking an amnion); this core meaning has been retained in modern scientific usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a vertebrate that is not an amniote (i.e., lacking an amnion), typically referring to fishes and amphibians.
The study compared developmental patterns in amniotes and nonamniotes.
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Adjective 1
not an amniote; lacking an amnion.
Nonamniote embryos develop without an amnion.
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Last updated: 2025/09/28 10:13