nonmammal
|non-mam-mal|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈmæməl/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈmæməl/
not a mammal
Etymology
'nonmammal' originates from the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with 'mammal', which comes from Neo-Latin 'mammalis' derived from Latin 'mamma' meaning 'breast'.
'mammal' was coined in modern taxonomy in the 18th century from Neo-Latin 'mammalis' (from Latin 'mamma'), and the productive English prefix 'non-' was later attached to form 'nonmammal' to denote 'not a mammal'.
Initially the parts meant 'not' + 'breast-related animal', and over time the compound has been used straightforwardly to mean 'an animal that is not a mammal'; the basic negative meaning has remained stable.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an animal that is not a member of the class Mammalia; any creature that is not a mammal.
Birds and reptiles are nonmammals.
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Adjective 1
not belonging to the group of animals known as mammals.
A nonmammal animal, such as a frog, does not nurse its young.
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Last updated: 2025/12/30 21:01