ovipositor

/əʊvɪˈpɒzɪtə/

From ovi- (“egg”) + Latin positor (“one who places”, agent noun form of pōnere).

agent noun form of <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">pōnere</i>

I'm fascinated by a splendid European wasp - Rhyssa persuasoria (sabre wasp). […] It has a remarkable ovipositor. That's the multi-function "hypodermic needle" at the end of the abdomen, and, in this instance, it doubles the length of the wasp to about 8cm.

2019 September 15, Jonathan Amos, “Wasps: If you can't love them, at least admire them”, in BBC News:

(zoology) A tubular protruding organ for laying eggs.


perigone

From French périgone, doublet of perigonium.

(zoology) A sac surrounding the generative bodies in the gonophore of a hydroid.


Earth Mother

In the ancient myth of Demeter and Persephone - which has been adopted by so many peoples under so many forms - Demeter the Earth-mother loses her daughter Persephone (who represents of course the Vegetation), carried down into the underworld by the evil powers of Darkness and Winter.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 73:

Taking this somewhat tenuous line of reasoning one step further, it might be suggested that witches sought enlightenment and contact with the Earth Mother and Sky Father through group activities, while wizards tended towards shamanistic methods and techniques.

1994, Tony Linsell, Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Migration & Magic, Anglo-Saxon,, →ISBN, page 165:

His mother is Jord (the Earth Mother), his foster mother is Hlora, his step mother is Frigg, his wife is Sif, his mistress is the giantess Jarnsaxa and his daughter is Thrud (one of the valkyries).

1997, Thorskegga Thorn, "Thor and the Goddesses", Thunder, issue 2 (Heathen Journal)

The following scheme further interprest the 'Skyfather(s)' - Earthmother(s) cosmology, drawing on our previous discussion of cosmogony and cosmology.

2000, Nathan J. Johnson, Robert J. Wallis, Galdrbok, The Wykeham Press,, →ISBN, page 193:

(paganism, archaeology) The Great Goddess of the Earth and fertility.

(archaeology) A figurine or depiction of this goddess.


maritime archaeology

A branch of archaeology that specializes in seas, lakes, and rivers.


prostriate

(entomology) Describing ticks (of the order Ixodida) in which the anal groove of the adult is in front of the anus


Chinese mountain cat

en-noun

Chinese mountain cat (plural Chinese mountain cats)

(zoology) A small wild cat, Felis bieti, living in western China.


uniparous

(zoology) Producing a single egg or offspring at one time


harpy eagle

Harpia harpyja
Harpia harpyja#Translingual

(ornithology) A neotropical eagle, Harpia harpyja.


gis

From the military term GIS, "general impression and shape".

Applied to birding, the gis approach involves a deemphasis of separate field marks in favor of the gestalt, the essence that tells us a dog is a dog […]

1988 April 8, Jerry Sullivan, “Field & Street”, in Chicago Reader:

(ornithology, slang) Alternative spelling of jizz


stylet

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stylet.wav

From French stylet (“stiletto”), from Middle French stilet (“stiletto”), from Old Italian stiletto. Doublet of stiletto.

Even octopuses without stylets almost certainly retain the molecular machinery necessary to build them.

2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 120:

(zoology) A stiff, slender organ of an animal.


schistosome

From translingual Schistosoma, from Ancient Greek σχιστός (skhistós, “cleaved, divided”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”).

af

(zoology) A parasitic flatworm which needs two hosts to complete its life cycle. The immature form infests freshwater snails and the adult lives in the blood vessels of birds and mammals, causing bilharzia in humans.


anhinga

From New Latin anhinga or Portuguese anhingá, from Old Tupi ajíŋa, áyinga, or ayingá.

(zoology) Synonym of darter: any bird of the genus Anhinga.

Anhinga anhinga
Anhinga anhinga#Translingual

(zoology) A fish-eating bird (Anhinga anhinga) of North America with a thin, pointed bill and a long, thin neck.


Japhetic

en-adj

Japhetic (comparative more Japhetic, superlative most Japhetic)

more Japhetic (comparative)
most Japhetic (superlative)

The English Japheth or the Latin Iapetus, + -ic. Coined in the first half of the 19th century alongside Semitic and Hamitic.

(obsolete, ethnography) Of or pertaining to the supposed descendants of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah in the Bible.


hinge termination

en-noun

hinge termination (plural hinge terminations)

(archaeology) The abruptly truncated end of a knapped stone flake that did not reach across the entire face of the core stone; also applied to the site of the break on the core.


just-so story

/ˌd͡ʒʌstˈsəʊ ˌstɔːɹi/

PIE word
 *swé
From just so (“(almost) exactly or precisely like something”, adjective) + story, referring to the series of short stories called Just So Stories (collected in book form in 1902) by the English writer Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) which described how various animals acquired their distinctive characteristics, such as how the leopard got its spots. According to Kipling, the stories were so titled because they were intended to put his daughter Josephine (“Effie”) to sleep, “and you were not allowed to alter those by one single little word. They had to be told just so; or Effie would wake up and put back the missing sentence.”

Sociobiological explanations of human behaviour encounter two special difficulties, suggesting that a Darwinian model may be generally inapplicable in this case. […] Secondly, the standard foundation of Darwinian just-so stories does not apply to humans. That foundation is the implication: if adaptive, then genetic—for the inference of adaptation is usually the only basis of a selective story, and Darwinism is a theory of genetic change and variation in populations.

1978 November 16, Stephen Jay Gould, “Sociobiology: The Art of Storytelling”, in Bernard Dixon, editor, New Scientist, volume 80, number 1129, London: IPC Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 532:

(social sciences, especially anthropology, philosophy, chiefly derogatory) An untestable explanation for something, such as a form of behaviour, a biological trait, or a cultural practice.


MIS

MIS 3 is used to refer to the period between 57 and 70 thousand years ago.

Marine isotope stage
w:Marine isotope stage

(archaeology) Initialism of Marine isotope stage, a timescale.


tomentum

(zoology) A covering of fine, soft hairs; a pubescence.


haematodocha

The elastic haematodochae are then distended hydraulically, pushing out and rotating the sclerites of the palpal organs, some of which lock it in position.

1996, Michael J Roberts, Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe, Collins, published 1996, page 22:

(zoology) An elastic sac of tissue within the palp of male arachnids, which fills with blood during insemination.


artefactual

en-adj

artefactual (comparative more artefactual, superlative most artefactual)

more artefactual (comparative)
most artefactual (superlative)

(archaeology) Of or pertaining to artefacts


knotting

en-noun

knotting (countable and uncountable, plural knottings)

(uncountable, zoology) The swelling of the bulbus glandis.


capitulum

Borrowed from Latin capitulum. Doublet of chapiter and chapter.

(arachnology) The head-like mouthpart apparatus of a tick, including the palpi, mandibles, and hypostome.

(entomology, obsolete) The enlarged end of a proboscis.


paucispiral

a paucispiral operculum or shell

(biology, malacology, conchology) Having few spirals or whorls.


lithophyte

From litho- (“stone, rock”) + -phyte (“plant”).

confix

(zoology) Any organism, such as a coral, resembling a stony plant.


Red Baron

From Red Baron, nickname of Baron Manfred von Richthofen, who flew a red fighter.

(entomology) A red-coloured dragonfly, Urothemis aliena, family Libellulidae, of New Guinea and north and eastern Australia.


fasciate

From Latin fasciō (“to swathe or bind”).


fossorial

en-adj

fossorial (comparative more fossorial, superlative most fossorial)

more fossorial (comparative)
most fossorial (superlative)

From Latin fossōrius (“adapted for digging or delving”), from fodiō (“dig”).

uder

The most specialized fossorial mammals (moles, marsupial mole) are subterranean, seeking food and shelter underground and rarely coming to the surface.

2006, Kenneth D. Rose, The Beginning of the Age of Mammals, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN:

(zoology) Of, pertaining to, or adapted for digging or burrowing.

риещ

of, pertaining to, or adapted for digging or burrowing


fossorial

(zoology) Any digging animal (such as a mole)


nematogen

Formed as nemat- + -o- + -gen, in zoölogical use after the French nématogène. Compare nematogenous and nematogenic, as well as the scientific Latin Nēmatogena.

(zoology) One of the dimorphic forms of the species of Dicyema, which produce vermiform embryos; opposed to rhombogen.


tropho-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”).

bor

(biology, medicine, zoology) nourish; nourishment.


scute

Borrowed from Latin scutum (“shield”). Compare scutum, escudo, scudo, and écu.

Then one afternoon, as he's stripping the scutes and hide from a shortnose sturgeon, an idea hits him.

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 71:

(zoology) A horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the skin of crocodiles.


fisherfolk

en-noun

fisherfolk (countable and uncountable, plural fisherfolks)

/ˈfɪʃɚˌfoʊk/

From fisher (“person who catches fish, especially for a living or for sport”) + folk; compare fisherman.

compound

(anthropology) Members of a culture that is dominated by fishing.

kalastajakansan jäsen

members of a culture that is dominated by fishing


basal bristle

(ornithology) A small feather located at the base of a bird's bill that has little or no vane.


ophiology

From ophio- (“snake”) + -logy (“study of”).

(zoology) The study of snakes, a branch of herpetology.


labrum

(entomology) The uppermost of the mouthparts (trophi) of a typical insect, such as a cockroach. Typically resembles an upper lip and forms part of the roof of the mouth in such insects.

labro

the uppermost of the mouthparts of insects


caudatan

(zoology) Any amphibian of the order Caudata; the salamanders


phasmid

From Latin phasma (“apparition, specter, phantom”) + -id (nominal suffix), from Ancient Greek φάσμα (phásma, “apparition, phantom”).

der

A giant phasmid (or stick insect) from India whose cage was over two metres tall spent long hours standing upon a perpendicular branch and staring into Mother's eyes.

1993, Rikki Ducornet, The Jade Cabinet, Dalkey Archive Press, page 19:

(entomology) Any insect of the order Phasmida: a leaf insect or walking stick (stick insect).

(nematology) Either of the two caudal chemoreceptors in some nematodes.


peristome

We can distinguish therefore in the body of a polyp the column, circular or oval in section, forming the trunk, resting on a base or foot and surmounted by the crown of tentacles, which enclose an area termed the peristome, in the centre of which again is the mouth. […] The mouth may be level with the surface of the peristome, or may be projecting and trumpet-shaped.

1911, “Polyp”, in Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition:

(zoology) The parts of or surrounding the mouths of numerous invertebrates.


actinal

From Ancient Greek ἀκτίς, ἀκτῖν- (aktís, aktîn-, “ray”) + -al. The usage was coined by Louis Agassiz (See quotations below.).

uder

ἀκτίς, ἀκτῖν-

The so-called mouth is always placed at one of these poles, and from it radiate the most prominent organs, in consequence of which I have called this side of the body the oral or actinal area ...

1857, Professor Louis Agassiz, Natural History of North America, Vol. IV, page 376:

(zoology) Pertaining to the side or surface around the mouth in an animal that has radial symmetry such as a starfish.

[Professor Agassiz] gives the names of two axes of the animals; that around which the motion of the animal occurs is the actinal axis ...

1861, John Timbs, Charles W. Vincent, James Mason, The Year-book of Facts in Science and Art, Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., page 214:

(zoology) Pertaining to the axis of rotational symmetry in radiate animals.


monogoneutic

From mono- + Ancient Greek γονεύω (goneúō, “to produce offspring”) + -tic, from γονεύς (goneús, “parent”).

af

(entomology) Having only one brood per season.


remipede

From French rémipède, partly modelled on Latin.

(zoology) Any of several small, marine, cave-dwelling crustaceans, of the class Remipedia, characterized by a short head and a long trunk bearing setose swimming appendages


FBS

en-noun

FBS (countable and uncountable, plural FBSs)

Even more, cross-cousins on the mother's side (MBS and MBD) are called by different terms – the same as for M and MB, respectively – than those on the father's side (FBS and FBD). Finally, FB is called by the same term as F,[…]

2009 June 24, Jack David Eller, Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives, Routledge, →ISBN, page 196:

(anthropology) Initialism of father's brother's son.


orientating response

orientating response (plural orientating responses)

(zoology) An animal's response to a stimulus in which the animal moves in a way that allows it to better evaluate the nature of the stimulus. It can then better respond to danger through "fight or flight".


electrolocation

(zoology) the ability of an animal to detect an object by its distortion of the animal's electric field, as in the electric fishes such as the electric eel.


comparative ethics

(anthropology, sociology, ethics) A type of descriptive ethics, focused on studying the nature and origins of beliefs about morality held by people in diverse social or cultural groups.


trochoid

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-trochoid.wav

From Ancient Greek τροχοειδής (trokhoeidḗs), from τροχός (trokhós, “wheel”) + εἶδος (eîdos, “form, image”).

(malacology) An organism or fossil with a trochoid shell (especially one in the gastropod family Trochidae), or the shell itself.


trochoid

en-adj

trochoid (comparative more trochoid, superlative most trochoid)

more trochoid (comparative)
most trochoid (superlative)

(malacology, of a shell or fossil) High-spired; conical.


avunculocal

(anthropology, of a society, culture, or system) Characterized by couples living with the husband's maternal uncle.


haltere

From Ancient Greek ἁλτῆρες (haltêres, “weights held in the hand to give an impetus in leaping”). Note that in the original Greek, there seems to have been no singular for ἁλτῆρες (haltêres), and some authorities maintain that halteres is a plurale tantum, but in English entomological usage, haltere sometimes appears as a back-formation. Sometimes the singular halter is used instead, but this may lead to confusion with other, unrelated meanings of halter.

uder

Whenever the fly changes direction at an angle to the hinge, the shaking bends the halteres at their base and turns them into a gyroscope.

2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 166:

(entomology) A small knobbed structure in some two-winged insects, one of a pair that are flapped rapidly and function as accelerometers to maintain stability in flight.


hyperparasite

From hyper- (prefix meaning ‘over, above, or beyond’) + parasite.

prefix

Parasites and Hyperparasites.— [...] How the Pteromalus contrived to introduce its eggs into the Tetrastichus, and how the Tetrastichus managed to oust the Microgaster must for the present remain open questions for the consideration of the learned.

1863, Edward Newman, “Parasites and Hyperparasites”, in Edward Newman, editor, The Zoologist: A Popular Miscellany of Natural History, volume XXI, London: John Van Voorst, […], →OCLC, page 8609:

Though itself attacked by several hymenopterous hyperparasites, it [Paratheresia claripalpis, a species of fly] is still capable of maintaining a high rate of borer parasitization, one recorded instance being 73.7%; [...]

1951 February, H. M[artin]-L[eake], “The Sugar Cane Mouth Borer in Peru”, in James P. Ogilvie, editor, The International Sugar Journal: A Technical & Commercial Periodical Devoted Entirely to the Sugar Industry, volume LIII, number 626, London: The International Sugar Journal Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 42, column 2:

Secondary parasites, or hyperparasites, are parasites of primary parasites and have quite the opposite ecological effect since they constrain the population of the primary parasite. [...] A few species are able to function as facultative hyperparasites, attacking both the host and its primary parasites.

1982, John Feltwell, “Parasitic Control”, in Large White Butterfly: The Biology, Biochemistry, and Physiology of Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus) (Entomologica; 18), The Hague, Boston, Mass.: Dr. W. Junk Publishers, →ISBN, page 402:

Eupteromalus parnarae Gahan [...] is also a recorded hyperparasite of Apanteles rifucrus Haliday on Naranga aenescens Moore, [...]

1983 December, A. T. Barrion, J. A. Litsinger, “Trichornalopsis apanteloctena (Crawford) [Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae]: Correct Name for the Larval Parasite of the Rice Skipper”, in International Rice Research Newsletter, volume 8, number 6, Manila: International Rice Research Institute, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 14:

[page 12] The colour loss of the rust on Araza was found to be accelerated by the presence of a hyperparasite indicated by the white mycelia surrounding the urediospores [...] [page 13] The hyperparasite on the Uromyces sp. affecting Araza is yet to be identified but may have potential in the future for the development of biological control programs for this organism.

1995 May, Paulette Ann Tai Chun, “Results and Discussion”, in Pre and Post Harvest Pests and Diseases of Araza (Eugenia stipitata) in Costa Rica: Report on Activities at the Agronomic Center for Tropical Agriculture Research and Training (CATIE): […], Costa Rica: Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Headquarters, pages 12 and 13:

(entomology, specifically) An insect that parasitizes another parasitic insect.


helotism

en-noun

helotism (usually uncountable, plural helotisms)

(zoology) A form of mutualism in which one species is forced to perform tasks for another, for their mutual benefit


dulosis

From Ancient Greek δοῦλος (doûlos, “servant, slave, thrall”) + -osis.

der

(entomology) process by which parasitic ants steal pupae from the nests of other ants and raise them in their own nest, so that they become part of the colony and perform tasks in it.


stirp

(biology, anthropology) A line descended from a single ancestor.


unguis

From Latin unguis (“nail, claw, hoof”). Doublet of onyx.

(zoology) The nail, claw, talon, or hoof of a finger, toe, or other appendage.


alligatorid

This species is large compared with known Eocene alligatorids, although its character states present a mosaic of resemblances to earlier and later alligatorids.

1956, Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, volume 31, page 554:

Although most alligatorids have ventral osteoderms, the American alligator usually has only poorly developed single osteoderms in the pectoral and midventral regions, if at all (Fig. 6C and D).

1989, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Crocodiles: Their Ecology, Management, and Conservation, page 24:

The oldest alligatorid, Navajosuchus mooki, is from the lowermost Paleocene (66-62 Ma).

2009, S. Blair Hedges, Sudhir Kumar, The timetree of life, →ISBN, page 403:

(zoology) Any reptile of the family Alligatoridae; a caiman or alligator.


stirps

Borrowed from Latin stirps (“rootstock, stem”).

(zoology, botany) A superfamily of animals or plants.


massify

en-verb

massify (third-person singular simple present massifies, present participle massifying, simple past and past participle massified)

massifies (present singular third-person)
massifying (participle present)
massified (participle past)
massified (past)

(transitive and intransitive, anthropology) To become, or cause to become, oriented toward mass production, mass consumption, and high throughput rather than individuality.


gular

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-gular.wav

From gula (“upper throat”) + -ar (suffix forming adjectives). Gula is derived from Latin gula (“gullet, throat; palate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷel- (“throat”).

suffix

Iguanæ. [...] Inhabits America, on the gular pouch of the Iguana.

1806, Charles Linnè [i.e., Carl Linnaeus], “Order VII. Aptera.”, in William Turton, transl., A General System of Nature, through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, […], volume III (Animal Kingdom), part II (Insects), London: […] Lackington, Allen, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 702:

The back of the guana is very strongly serrated; and this, together with the gular pouch, which it has the power of extending or inflating occasionally to a great degree, gives a formidable appearance to an animal otherwise harmless.

1816, G[eorge] Gregory, “LACERTA, lizard”, in A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. […], 1st American edition, volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: […] Isaac Peirce, […], →OCLC:

The Field Woodpecker. P. Campestris. [...] Head, chin, and throat, black; front of neck, yellowish; gular streak black; body beneath, white. America.

1829, [Georges] Cuvier, Edward Griffith, “The Third Order of Birds, Scansores, or Climbers”, in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization, […], volume VII, London: […] Whittaker, Treacher, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 449:

THE SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE. Trionyx ferox. [...] Neck long, smooth, with a gular fold.

1842, James E[llsworth] De Kay, “Class III. Reptiles.”, in Zoology of New-York; or The New-York Fauna; […] (Natural History of New York; I), part III (Reptiles and Amphibia), Albany, N.Y.: […] W. & A. White & J. Visscher, →OCLC, page 6:

Cyclanosteus senegalensis. [...] The five gular callosities are very similar in disposition; but they vary greatly in form and size, compared with each other, in the different speciments of this species.

1870, John Edward Gray, “Cyclanosteus”, in Supplement to the Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). […], London: […] Trustees [of the British Museum], →OCLC, page 112, column 2:

Evaporative cooling via the respiratory tract in birds is enhanced by increased movement of the air by panting or by gular flutter.

1995, Gordon Lindsay Maclean, “Thermoregulation”, in Ecophysiology of Desert Birds (Adaptation of Desert Organisms), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, →ISBN, section 6.2.1 (Evaporative Heat Loss (EHL)), page 91:

Ladyfishes are elongate, slender, and robust, with a terminal mouth and a deeply forked caudal fin. [...] Gular plate, located between limbs of lower jaw, is well developed.

1998, John D. McEachran, Janice D. Fechhelm, “Elopiformes”, in Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, volume 1 (Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes), Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 204:

(chiefly zoology) Particularly of an animal: of, pertaining to, or located at the gula (“the upper front of the neck next to the chin”) or the throat.

gularni

of, pertaining to, or located at the gula or the throat


gular

Cnemidophorus maximus [...] Plates of the collar graduating in the posterior gular, the marginal largest, the series concave anteriorly in the middle. Anterior gulars abruptly larger, their median largest.

1863, E[dward] D[rinker] Cope, “Descriptions of New American SQUAMATA, in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington”, in Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.: […] Academy [of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia], published 1864, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 104:

A small tortoise, females larger than males, with a maximum carapace length of 110 mm and mass of 150 g. [...] The plastron is composed of paired gulars, which together are more than twice as wide than long; [...]

1989, Richard C. Boycott, “Homopus boulengeri …”, in Ian R[ichard] Swingland, Michael W. Klemens, editors, The Conservation Biology of Tortoises […] (Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC); no. 5), Gland, Vaud, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature, →ISBN, page 78:

The plastral scutes are represented by a complete set including the gulars, extragulars, humerals, pectorals, abdominals, femorals, and four pairs of inframarginals. The gulars are very short medially and do not reach the entoplastron.

2013, Igor G. Danilov, Vladimir B. Sukhanov, Elena V. Syromyatnikova, “Redescription of Zangerlia dzamynchondi (Testudines: Nanhsiungchelyidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia, with a Reassessment of the Phylogenetic Position and Relationships of Zangerlia”, in Donald B. Brinkman, Patricia A. Holroyd, James D. Gardner, editors, Morphology and Evolution of Turtles […] (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series), Dordrecht: Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 412, column 1:

(zoology) A plate or scale in the throat region of the body of a fish or reptile (especially a snake).


suid

From the genus name Sus, from Latin sūs (“pig”), + -id.

(zoology) Any of the family Suidae of pigs and related creatures.


epipubic bone

(zoology) a rod-like bone that projects forward from the pelvis in monotremes and marsupials.

pankkaluu

rod-like bone projecting from the pelvis


epistome

New Latin epistoma, corresponding to epi- + -stome.

(zoology) a mouth-covering lobe or ridge in bryozoans and phoronids


corbicula

A learned borrowing from Latin corbicula, diminutive of corbis, a basket. Doublet of corbeil.

(entomology) A bee's pollen basket; in honeybees and close relatives, the corbiculae are located on the outer (lateral) surface of the hind tibia.


findspot

(archaeology) A location at which items, or a specific item, have been found.


mortarium

/mɔːˈtɛːɹɪəm/

From Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortar.

(archaeology) A kind of mortar used by ancient Romans for grinding.


osselet

en-noun

osselet (countable and uncountable, plural osselets)

(zoology, archaic) The internal bone, or shell, of a cuttlefish.


alarm substance

alarm substance (plural alarm substances)

(zoology) A chemical emitted from the skin of a fish after an injury that warns nearby fish of danger.


rectrix

From Latin rectrix, feminine form of rector (“one who directs”).

A flight feather on the tails of birds, used for directional control.


intersex

intersex (countable and uncountable, plural intersexes)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-intersex.wav

From German Intersexe; corresponding to inter- + sex. Doublet of intersect

Goldschmidt and others who have thought of the homosexual individual as an intersex have relied upon incidence figures which were pure guesses and which, as the data in the present chapter will show, bear little relation to the fact....

1948, Alfred Kinsey with Wardell Baxter Pomeroy and Clyde Eugene Martin, Sexual behavior in the human male, page 659:

Conversely, a fertilized egg with one X-chromosome would develop not into a male but into an intersex […]

1955, Curt Stern, Principles of Human Genetics, page 374:

Pseudo-hermaphrodites or other intersexes are not to be confused with transsexualists; transvestites may be transsexualists, but not necessarily.

Genital surgery on intersexes has been performed for about a century

2003, Peggy Tine Cohen-Kettenis with Friedemann Pfäfflin, Transgenderism and intersexuality in childhood and adolescence, page 155:

An intersex, then, is an animal that shows both male and female characteristics.

2009, Mary C Smith, David Sherman, Goat Medicine, page 609:

(countable, biology, zoology) An individual with any of these conditions.


falcate

en-adj

falcate (comparative more falcate, superlative most falcate)

more falcate (comparative)
most falcate (superlative)

Latin falx (falc-) (“sickle”) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

af

(zoology and botany) Shaped like a sickle.


fore wing

hind wing

antonym(s) of “wing closest to the head”

(entomology, in an insect) Either member of the pair of wings closest to the head.


hind wing

(entomology, in an insect with two pairs of wings) Either member of the pair of wings closer to the tail.


pleon

Borrowed from New Latin, from Ancient Greek πλέων (pléōn), present participle of πλεῖν (pleîn, “to sail”); from the fact that it bears the swimming limbs. Alternatively, perhaps in the sense of being longer or extended.


imaginal disc

1982, John Feltwell, Large White Butterfly: The Biology, Biochemistry, and Physiology of Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus), Kluwer Academic (Dr W. Junk Publishers), page 142,
The arrangement of the imaginal discs (buds) in situ in the anterior of the larva of P. brassicae has been illustrated by Gonin (1894) and their development has been shown in a series of six diagrams by Mercier in Portier (1949).

Experiments in which cells have been selectively destroyed by X-irradiation have shown that formation of imaginal discs occurs very early in embryogenesis and at specific sites.

2005, Cedric Gillott, Entomology, 3rd edition, Springer, page 634:

The developing BO^([Bolwig's organ, or larval eye]) is drawn inward at head involution, whereas the future imaginal disc cells invaginate to form a pouch in the late embryo that later forms the eye antenna imaginal disc.

2005, David J. Merritt, “Chapter 7: Evolution and Development of the Dipteran Nervous System”, in Brian Wiegmann, David K. Yeates, editors, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies, Columbia University Press, page 189:

(entomology) Any of several pairs of discs within the body of a larva that become part of the outside during the pupal stage of holometabolism (complete metamorphosis).


farinose

en-adj

farinose (comparative more farinose, superlative most farinose)

more farinose (comparative)
most farinose (superlative)

Borrowed from Late Latin farīnōsus, from Latin farīna.

(botany, zoology) Covered with a sort of white, mealy powder, like the leaves of some poplars, and the body of certain insects; mealy


strobilus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek στρόβιλος (stróbilos). According to Liddell and Scott, 8th ed. 1882: of various meanings such as a pine-cone, something screwed up into a lump like a pine-cone, a pine tree and more.

(zoology) A strobila, a layered reproductive stage in jellyfish, in which the swimming medusa form is produced.


paten

From Middle English patene, from Old French patene, from Latin patina, from Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē). Doublet of patina, patine, and patena.

(archaeology) Any shallow dish found in an archaeological site.


acidopore

(zoology, rare) A conical structure with a small terminal opening, at the posterior end of an ant’s gaster through which it sprays formic acid and associated hydrocarbons, collectively comprising the venom. This structure is unique to, but characteristic of all members of the ant subfamily Formicinae.


Natufian

Coined by Dorothy Garrod after Wadi an-Natuf, the location of the Shuqba cave in West Bank where these people lived, + -ian.

(archaeology, anthropology) Of, or relating to a Mesolithic-era hunter-gatherer people in the Mediterranean area around Levant, at about 13,000 to 11,000 BC.


giraffe weevil

It derives its name from an extended neck, much like that of the common giraffe.

(entomology) A weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) endemic to Madagascar.


placozoan

Placozoa + -an; compare protozoan, protozoon.

2010, Vicki Buchsbaum Pearse, Oliver Voigt, 12: Field Biology of Placozoans (Trichoplax), Rob Desalle, Bernd Schierwater (editors), Key Transitions in Animal Evolution, Taylor & Francis (CRC Press), Science Publishers, page 273,
Similarly, at Madang, Papua New Guinea, a small rhabdocoel flatworm crawling on a slide among placozoans was observed contacting a placozoan, recoiling vigorously, and changing its direction of movement only to encounter another placozoan and repeat this behavior several times.

Although ciliates, nematodes and are other small animals are observed around or even on placozoans, they do not seem to elicit any response (Pearse and Voigt, 2007).

2018, Fatik Baran Mandal, Biology of Non-chordates, 2nd edition, PHI Learning, page 112:

Placozoans have a lower side facing the substratum and an upper side facing the water body.

2019, Oliver Voigt, Michael Eitel, “3: Placozoa”, in Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa, editor, Handbook of Zoology: Miscellaneous Invertebrates, Walter de Gruyter, page 41:

(zoology) Any of a group of balloon-shaped marine organisms, of the phylum Placozoa, considered to be the simplest living animals.


speos

A tomb or temple carved from the solid rock


skunk ape

(US, cryptozoology) A hominid creature said to inhabit the Southeastern United States.


heterocercal

heterocercal (comparative more heterocercal, superlative most heterocercal)

more heterocercal (comparative)
most heterocercal (superlative)

(ichthyology) Of a fish's tail, such that the vertebral column bends and extends upwards into the upper lobe of the tail, making it larger than the lower lobe; as in sharks, rays, and skates.


radula

/ˈɹæd͡ʒ.ʊ.lə/

The radula end containing the first 5–10 rows of teeth showed evidence of wear from rasping over rock surfaces during feeding and was removed using dissection.

2015 February 18, Asa H. Barber, Dun Lu, Nicola M. Pugno, “Extreme strength observed in limpet teeth”, in Journal of the Royal Society Interface:

What Kruta found in the ammonoid fossils was an unfoldable radula covered with delicate, comblike teeth.

2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 98:

(zoology) The rasping tongue of snails and all other mollusks except bivalves.

raastinkieli

the rasping tongue of snails and most other molluscs


autonym

Deutsche is the autonym of the people known in English as Germans.

(linguistics, anthropology) A name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language, as opposed to a name given to them by other groups.


reclinate

reclinate (comparative more reclinate, superlative most reclinate)

more reclinate (comparative)
most reclinate (superlative)

reclinate bristles

reclinate leaves

reclinate setae

(botany, entomology) bent downward, so that the point is lower than the base.


respawn

en-verb

respawn (third-person singular simple present respawns, present participle respawning, simple past and past participle respawned)

respawns (present singular third-person)
respawning (participle present)
respawned (participle past)
respawned (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-respawn.wav

This diminishes even further the remote chance of the fish surviving to respawn.

1970, Idaho Wildlife Review, volumes 23-29, page 161:


morid

(zoology) Any member of the Moridae family of fish.


piercer

(zoology) The ovipositor, or sting, of an insect.

(zoology) Any insect provided with an ovipositor.


bilaterian

en-noun

bilaterian (plural bilaterians or bilateria)

Whatever the phylogenetic relationship among bilaterians and the diploblastic phyla, there was clearly a significant expansion in genomic information within the internode that connects the bilaterian clade to other branches.

2005, N. S. Sharma, Continuity And Evolution Of Animals, page 91:

Lacking body cavities and both circulatory and excretory organs, with subepidermal nerve plexuses and 'brains' represented, if at all, by thickened anterior commissures, and with simple reproductive set-ups, acoels come close to representing a model stem ancestor for bilaterians.

2007, J. W. Valentine, “Seeing ghosts: Neoproterozoic bilaterian body plans”, in Patricia Vickers-Rich, Patricia Komarower, editors, The Rise and Fall of the Ediacaran Biota, page 372:

In most bilaterians, the gut musculature and most vascular muscles derive from the mesoderm.

2010, José Xavier-Neto, Marcos Sawada Simoes-Costa, Rodrigo Abe Castro, Hozana Andrade Castillo, Allysson Coelho Sampaio, Ana Paula Azambuja, “Chapter 1.1: Evolutionary Origins of Hearts”, in Nadia Rosenthal, Richard P. Harvey, editors, Heart Development and Regeneration, volume 1, page 12:

(zoology) Any animal that has bilateral symmetry, collectively grouped in the clade Bilateria.

bilatérien

any animal that has bilateral symmetry, collectively grouped in the clade Bilateria


deuterostome

(zoology) Any animal, of the subphylum Deuterostomia, in which the initial pore formed during gastrulation becomes the anus, and the second pore becomes the mouth.

後口動物

animal in which the initial pore formed during gastrulation becomes the anus, and the second pore becomes the mouth

டியூட்டெரோஸ்டோம்

ṭiyūṭṭerōsṭōm


aposematism

apo- (prefix meaning ‘away from’) (from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πό (apó, “from, away from”)) + semat(ic) (“acting as a sign of danger”) (from Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign, token”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰyeh₂- (“to notice”) + -μᾰ (-ma, suffix forming neuter nouns denoting the object or result of an action, or a particular instance of an action)) + -ism. The word aposematic was coined by British evolutionary biologist Edward Bagnall Poulton (1856–1943) in The Colours of Animals (1890).

der

First, the selection of "red" as a releaser in courtship and social chasing indicates a secondarily evolved use of aposematic coloring. It is assumed here that aposematism in this and other red-and-black heliconiids, and their correlated development of Müllerian mimicry, occurred in evolution before the development of red as a social releaser.

1954, Zoologica: Scientific Contributions of the New York Zoological Society, New York, N.Y.: New York Zoological Society, →OCLC, page 193, column 1:

The co-occurrence of conspicuous coloration and noxious characteristics in many coastal marine species suggests that aposematism is a common predator deterrent in the marine environment.

1990 June, Mary [K.] Wicksten, compiler, Adaptive Coloration in Invertebrates: Proceedings of a Symposium Sponsored by the American Society of Zoologists (TAMU-SG; 90-106), [Galveston, Tex.]: Texas A&M Sea Grant College Program, →OCLC, page 77, column 1:

Detected prey can avoid an attack by way of warning signals (aposematism), for example, bright coloration as a sign of toxicity. […] Aposematisms offer opportunities for 'cheating' species which are not poisonous but show the same color pattern, so-called Batesian mimicry.

2008, J. M. Jeshke, C. Laforsch, R. Tollrian, “Animal Prey Defenses”, in Encyclopedia of Ecology, volumes 1 (A–C), Amsterdam: Elsevier, →ISBN, page 191, column 2:

For example, both toxicity and coloration may be energetically costly to produce and maintain, and some theoretical models have predicted that once a predator has learned that a prey is toxic, prey should reduce the amount of energy invested in producing an honest signal. This could in turn make aposematism evolutionarily stable, as opposed to a constant arms race between toxicity, coloration and predator perception or toxic resistance

2015 June, Lina María Arenas, Dominic Walter, Martin Stevens, “Signal Honesty and Predation Risk among a Closely Related Group of Aposematic Species”, in Nature, volume 5, London: Nature Research, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-09-18, article number 11021:

We focus in this text on animal defences, but aposematism may apply in other groups. Aposematism has thus been variously proposed in plants […] where, for example, conspicuous coloration on the tips of defensitve spines might serve to draw the attention of predators and deter them from attacking. It has been suggested also that aposematism exists in some fungi […]

2018, Graeme D. Ruxton, William L. Allen, Thomas N. Sherratt, Michael P. Speed, “Aposematism”, in Avoiding Attack: The Evolutionary Ecology of Crypsis, Aposematism, and Mimicry, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, section 6.2.6 (Aposematism is Primarily a Phenomenon in Animals, but It may be Present in Other Groups), pages 89–90:

(biology, chiefly zoology) An adaptation, especially a form of coloration, that warns off potential predators.

aposematisme

adaptation that warns off potential predators


cracid

Indeed, if anything it^([the chachalaca]) is further from the Galliformes than the duck; but because of the slight uncertainties in the method Prager and Wilson argued for a three-way split between ducks, cracids, and non-cracid galliforms.

1982 May 20, Jeremy Charfas, “Proving the pattern of life”, in New Scientist, number 1306, page 485:

Cracraft (1973b, p. 507) asserted that Gallinuloides was closer to phasianids than cracids, but never presented evidence to substantiate his claim.

2012, Storrs L. Olson, “Chapter 2: The Fossil Record of Birds”, in Donald Farner, editor, Avian Biology, volume 3, page 115:

Two of the five Galliform families, the cracids (guans, curassows and chachalacas) and the New World quails, are confined to the Americas, with most species in Central and especially South America.

2013, Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, Robert Still, The World's Rarest Birds, page 278:

(zoology) Any bird of the family Cracidae.


metabola

From Ancient Greek μεταβολή (metabolḗ, “change”); μετά (metá, “beyond”) + βολέω (boléō, “throw”).

bor

(in the plural, entomology) Insects that metamorphose.


greenstone

en-noun

greenstone (countable and uncountable, plural greenstones)

(archaeology) any of several green-hued minerals used for making various artefacts in early Mesoamerican cultures, e.g. greenschist, chlorastrolite, serpentine, omphacite, or chrysoprase

diabaso

minerals used for making early Mesoamerican artefacts


dryopithecine

(zoology) Of, or relating to, the primate genus †Dryopithecus, considered to be relatives of both humans and apes.


dryopithecine

(zoology) Any member of this genus of primates


frit

frit (countable and uncountable, plural frits)

Either from French fritte, from frit (“fried”), or else from Italian fritta f (“fried”).

(archaeology) A similar material used in the manufacture of ceramic beads and small ornaments. (eastern Mediterranean; Bronze and Iron Age)


poriferan

(zoology) Any sponge of the phylum Porifera.


squamate

en-adj

squamate (comparative more squamate, superlative most squamate)

more squamate (comparative)
most squamate (superlative)

The ground here, it seems, is a mecca for the costive denizens of the Sahel, an unspoiled latrine for Mother Nature and all her feathered, furred and squamate creation.

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 45:


sphingid

(entomology) Any of many hawk moths of the family Sphingidae


Eneolithic

Eneolithic (comparative more Eneolithic, superlative most Eneolithic)

more Eneolithic (comparative)
most Eneolithic (superlative)

Borrowed from Italian eneolitico, from Latin aeneus (“copper, bronze”).

(archaeology, paleontology) Describing the age between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

énéolithique

describing the age between the Neolithic and Bronze age


Eneolithic

(archaeology, paleontology) The age between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

eneolític

age between the Neolithic and Bronze age


pteropid

(zoology) Any bat of the former family Pteropidae; the fruit bats


apomictic

apomictic (comparative more apomictic, superlative most apomictic)

more apomictic (comparative)
most apomictic (superlative)

I have found no definite reports of apomictic turbellarians, although the stenostomid Rhynchoscolex is said neither to reproduce by fission (but see Pennak, 1978) nor to possess a male system (Sterrer and Rieger, 1974).

1982, Graham Bell, The Masterpiece of Nature: The Evolution and Genetics of Sexuality:

Successful breeding of apomictic species is a relatively recent achievement and thus far only a few artificially bred cultivars of any apomictic crop have been released. For many years the only source of cultivars of apomictic species was selection and increase of the best natural apomictic ecotypes.

1990, E. C. Bashaw, Wayne W. Hanna, “5: Apomictic reproduction”, in Geoffrey Peter Chapman, editor, Reproductive Versatility in the Grasses, Cambridge University Press, page 115:

2001, Julien Berthaud, Chapter 2: Apomixis and the Management of Genetic Diversity, Yves Savidan, John G. Carman, Thomas Dresselhaus (editors), The Flowering of Apomixis: From Mechanisms to Genetic Engineering, CIMMYT, page 20,
The first generation hybrid between teosinte (sexual, aa) and apomictic maize (AA) would be apomictic (Aa), and BC₁ plants with teosinte as female would produce Aa (apomictic) and aa (sexual) progeny.

(botany, zoology) Of, pertaining to, or characterised by apomixis.


australopithecine

/ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/

Originally in reference to a now-obsolete subfamily Australopithecinae, formed in New Latin, from Latin austrālis (“southern”) + Ancient Greek πίθηκος (píthēkos, “ape”).

It is as if there were enshrined in these legends a racial memory of the Australopithicines who came close but never did make it to full humanity.

1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 28:

Australopithecines came in several varieties, some slender and gracile, like Raymond Dart's Taung child, others more sturdy and robust, but all were capable of walking upright.

2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, published 2003, page 391:

Caspari and Lee carried out comparisons ranging from ancient hominins such as australopithecines through to Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, assessing the ratios of young adults to old adults.

2011, Chris Stringer, The Origin of Our Species, Penguin, published 2012, page 151:

(anthropology, paleontology) Any of several extinct hominids, belonging to the genera Australopithecus, Paranthropus when seen as distinct, and sometimes other closely related genera.


australopithecine

australopithecine (comparative more australopithecine, superlative most australopithecine)

more australopithecine (comparative)
most australopithecine (superlative)

/ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/

(anthropology, paleontology) Of or pertaining to these hominids.


lucinid

(zoology) Any bivalve mollusc of the family Lucinidae.


lucinid

lucinid (comparative more lucinid, superlative most lucinid)

more lucinid (comparative)
most lucinid (superlative)

(zoology) Characteristic of these creatures.


hymenopteran

From translingual Hymenoptera + -an, from neuter plural of Ancient Greek ὑμενόπτερος (humenópteros, “membrane-winged”), from ὑμήν (humḗn, “thin skin, membrane”) + πτερόν (pterón, “feather, wing”) + -ος (-os, adjectival suffix).

af

(entomology) Any insect of the order Hymenoptera: the bees, wasps and ants etc.


hymenopteran

(entomology) Relating to or denoting hymenopterans.


arbuscle

Latin arbuscula, diminutive of arbor or arbos (“tree; tuft of feathers”).

(zoology) A clump of feather-like cilia (hairlike structures).


siboglinid

(zoology) Any polychaete annelid worm of the family Siboglinidae.


turbellarian

From translingual Turbellaria (from Latin turbellae (“bustle”), from turba (“confusion”)) + -an.

(zoology) Any flatworm of the class Turbellaria.


geophily

(zoology) The property of spending a stage of life underground.


geophilic

en-adj

geophilic (comparative more geophilic, superlative most geophilic)

more geophilic (comparative)
most geophilic (superlative)

(zoology) Spending all or a stage of the life cycle underground; exhibiting geophily.


mullid

(zoology) Any fish in the family Mullidae, the goatfish or red mullets.


bullid

(zoology) Any gastropod in the family Bullidae.


nuchal

Borrowed from Medieval Latin nuchālis, from nucha + -ālis, from Arabic نُخَاع (nuḵāʕ, “spinal cord”).

Dunn gives a key to a part of this group of Eumeces, based upon the number of nuchals, placing the two American species (he does not consider Eumeces altamirani Dugès) in a group having 14-17 pairs of nuchals;[…].

1935, The Kansas University Science Bulletin, volume 23, page 105:

Growth patterns of clavicles, cleithra, opercles, medial nuchals, dorsal scutes, and pectoral fin ray sections have been compared in white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus.

2004, B.G. Kapoor, Bhavna Khanna, Ichthyology Handbook, page 248:

Scales are weakly differentiated, with head scales flat and smooth, nuchals small and smooth, dorsal scales small and keeled, and tail scales larger ventrally than laterally, without wings.

2004, Hans-Georg Horn, “6.19: Varanus salvadorii”, in Eric R. Pianka, Dennis R. King, Ruth Allen King, editors, Varanoid Lizards of the World, Indiana University Press, page 236:

(zoology) A neck scale, especially of a lizard.


nematoid

nematoid (comparative more nematoid, superlative most nematoid)

more nematoid (comparative)
most nematoid (superlative)

(zoology) Of, relating to, or resembling a nematode.


porrect

porrect (comparative more porrect, superlative most porrect)

more porrect (comparative)
most porrect (superlative)

From Latin porrectus, past participle of porrigō (“stretch out”).

The palpi of moths in the genus Thumatha are porrect and slender.

(entomology, botany) stretched out or forward


rupestral

From New Latin rupestris, from Latin rūpes (“rock”).

Having departed from Sardis and before reaching the mnema of Tos, the traveller saw a monument which was either a free-standing pillar or a rupestral tablet, depending on how we interpret the word.^([στήλη])

1982, William Kendrick Pritchett, Studies in Ancient Greek Topography, page 277:

In the course of the last decade, a fair number of ancient rupestral (rock-cut) horoi have been published from various sites in southern Attica.

1995, Josiah Ober, “Greek Horoi: Artifactual Texts and the Contingency of Meaning”, in David B. Small, editor, Methods in the Mediterranean: Historical and Archaeological Views on Texts & Archaeology, page 115:

Representational art appears in two major categories: rupestral art (as in the paintings of the Palaeolithic caves) and mobiliary art (also called mobile or portable art).

2008, Harald Haarmann, Joan Marler, Introducing the Mythological Crescent: Ancient Beliefs and Imagery connecting Eurasia with Anatolia, page 14:

(art, archaeology) Made on or placed on rock surfaces.


coresidence

en-noun

coresidence (countable and uncountable, plural coresidences)

The question of coresidence is of special interest in the Northwest Amazon region because among tribes that do not have sibs but are organized on the basis of patrilocal families it is coresidence rather than kinship that has been reported to be the governor of exogamy (Kirchoff, 1931).

1979, Irving Goldman, The Cubeo: Indians of the Northwest Amazon, Second Edition, University of Illinois Press, →ISBN, pages 42–3:

(anthropology) Living together, sharing a residence, as of an adult child with a parent.


globster

Coined in 1962 by Ivan T. Sanderson, presumably a blend of glob and lobster.

An unidentified organic mass which has washed up on a beach.


metasoma

(entomology) The posterior part of the three-part body-structure of many arthropods, the other two parts being prosoma and mesosoma.


cleaner fish

cleaner fish (plural cleaner fishes or cleaner fish)

cleaner fishes (plural)
cleaner fish (plural)

(zoology) Any of many unrelated fishes that provide a service to other fish species by removing dead skin and parasites.


hawkmoth

(entomology) Any of several moths, of the family Sphingidae, that hover over flowers when sucking nectar through a long proboscis.


gonochorism

From gono- + Ancient Greek χωρίζω (khōrízō, “separate”) + -ism.

af

Coordinate term: dioecy

(biology, chiefly zoology) The situation in which the individuals of a species are of one of at least two distinct sexes, and retain that sexuality throughout their lives.

gonocorisme

state of having at least two distinct sexes


dolichoderine

(entomology) Any ant of the subfamily Dolichoderinae


elapid

(zoology) Any of many species of snakes of the family Elapidae, including the cobras, mambas, and coral snakes


gaster

Borrowing from Ancient Greek γᾰστήρ (gastḗr, “paunch, belly”).

bor

(zootomy, entomology) The enlarged part of the abdomen behind the petiole in hymenopterous insects (such as ants).


toothcomb

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-toothcomb.wav

There is no reason to doubt that the tooth comb is homologous in all the lemuriforms. The term tooth comb has recently been replaced by Martin (1972) with the concept of "tooth scraper," and he has stated that, although most living species of strepsirhines use their tooth combs for grooming, this is a secondary function.

1979, Frederick S. Szalay, Eric Delson, “Suborder Strepsirhini”, in Evolutionary History of the Primates, New York, N.Y., London: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 103, column 1:

Anthropoids are characterized by having short faces, dry noses, and lacking prominent whiskers. [...] There is no toothcomb or sublingua, and the number of teeth varies from 36 in some platyrrhines to 32 in the catarrhines.

1995, Robert A. Whitney, “Taxonomy”, in B. Taylor Bennett, Christian R. Abee, Roy Henrickson, editors, Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research: Biology and Management, San Diego, Calif., London: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 34, column 2:

Members of the Prosimii, with the exception of Tarsius, have extremely specialized incisors. The lower incisors are tilted forward—they are then called procumbent—and are flattened laterally, forming a toothcomb. [...] The lower canine is frequently included in this toothcomb, and its morphology is assimilated to the shape of the procumbent incisors.

2000, Friderun Ankel-Simons, “Teeth”, in Primate Anatomy: An Introduction, 2nd edition, San Diego, Calif., London: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 206:

Must interest has centered on the first appearance of the prosimian tooth-comb or tooth-scraper [...]. The tooth-comb is formed by lower incisors and canines that are elongated and slender, and that form a procumbent unit in the anterior mandible. Upper incisors are lost, reduced, or moved to accommodate the tooth-comb.

2015, Susan Cachel, “The Eocene Primate Radiation”, in Fossil Primates (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 152:

Toothcombs have evolved independently in various mammalian lineages, including primates, scandentians, and dermopterans, but the presence of a six-toothed toothcomb composed of four lower incisors and two canines (I₁, I₂ and C₁, bilaterally) is a distinct feature of extant strepsirrhine primates [...].

2020, Sergi López-Torres, Keegan R. Selig, Anne M. Burrows, Mary T. Silcox, “The Toothcomb of Karanisia clarki: Was this Species an Exudate-feeder?”, in K. A. I. Nekaris, Anne M. Burrows, editors, Evolution, Ecology and Conservation of Lorises and Pottos, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 67:

(zoology) A comb-like dental structure found in the lower jaws of certain primates consisting of long, flat front teeth with microscopic grooves, which are used for grooming fur.


gallinaceous

en-adj

gallinaceous (comparative more gallinaceous, superlative most gallinaceous)

more gallinaceous (comparative)
most gallinaceous (superlative)

Borrowed from Latin gallīnāceus, from gallīna (“hen”), itself from gallus (“cock”).

(zoology) related to the genus Gallus, poultry; notably said of the order Galliformes.


nucha

From Middle English nucha, nuche, nuca, nuka, nuke (“spinal cord”), borrowed from Medieval Latin nucha (“spinal cord; nape of the neck”). Doublet of nuque.

der

(anatomy, zoology, dated, rare) The back of the neck, the nape; of an animal: the back of the head or the portion of the body behind the head.


abelisaur

Juvenile T. rexes were light and agile before they leveled up into the adults we’re more familiar with. […] Other megatheropods, including abelisaurs and tarbosaurs, also grew from turkey-like hatchlings to bus-sized behemoths over the course of their lives.

2021 February 25, Cara Giaimo, “The Outsized Influence of Teen T. Rex and Other Young Dinosaurs”, in The New York Times:

(zoology) Any dinosaur of the superfamily Abelisauroidea.


hydranth

NM Stevens (1902) and Emil Godlewski (1904) described the transformation of pieces of stem to hydranths in the marine hydroid.

1970, Sylvan Meryl Rose, Regeneration, page 126:

(zoology) An individual polyp of a hydroid colony


Linear A

Named by British archaeologist Arthur Evans, to distinguish it from the other linear script, Linear B.

(archaeology, linguistics) A syllabary used to write the as-yet-undeciphered Minoan language, and an apparent predecessor to other scripts, such as Linear B.


macroblock

In 1975 the macroblock area was stepped back so that a smaller block excavation could extend below Horizon 8.

2003, David L. Carlson, “Figuring Out "What Happened in the Middle Archaic?"”, in Theory, Method, and Practice in Modern Archaeology, →ISBN, page 78:

(archaeology) An area of a dig where there are multiple adjacent block excavations


Linear B

Named by British archaeologist Arthur Evans, to distinguish it from the other linear script, Linear A.

(archaeology, linguistics) A syllabary used to write Mycenaean Greek in the second millennium BC, before the invention of the Greek alphabet.


hypodigm

Coined in 1940 by George Gaylord Simpson, Types in Modern Taxonomy, published in American Journal of Science #238, p. 418.

(taxonomy, anthropology) A sample from which the characters of a population are to be inferred.


post mold

(archaeology) An infilled soil cavity interpreted to be the result of a humanmade post that was once embedded in the ground.


onza

From Spanish onza, from Middle French once, from Old French lonce (“lynx”) by false division assuming the l was an article, from Italian lonza, from Latin lynx, from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx, “lynx”). Doublet of ounce.

(cryptozoology) A cryptid in Mexican folklore said to be similar to a cougar or jaguarundi but especially aggressive.


fill soil

en-noun

fill soil (countable and uncountable, plural fill soils)

(construction, horticulture, archaeology) Soil used for filling, that is, found within or contemporaneously placed within a cavity, or a supply of soil for use as fill.


impennate

en-adj

impennate (comparative more impennate, superlative most impennate)

more impennate (comparative)
most impennate (superlative)

(zoology, archaic) Characterized by short wings unsuitable for flying, covered with feathers resembling scales, as in the penguins.


geometer moth

(entomology) a geometrid moth of family Geometridae.


buchiid

Back-formation from Buchiidae, from the genus name Buchia.

The buchiids were certainly the most abundant bivalve group in the oceans of British Columbia during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.

1997, Rolf Ludvigsen, Life in Stone: A Natural History of British Columbia's Fossils, →ISBN, page 177:

(malacology, paleontology) A bivalve mollusc of the extinct family †Buchiidae.


geometrid moth

(entomology) Any of the various moths of the family Geometridae.


ichthyophthiriasis

en-noun

ichthyophthiriasis (usually uncountable, plural ichthyophthiriases)

(ichthyology) A parasitic infection of freshwater fish caused by the ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.


snout moth

(entomology) An eggar (family Lasiocampidae).


amphid

From Ancient Greek ἀμφιδέα (amphidéa, “anything that binds or is bound around”), from ἀμφιδέω (amphidéō, “to bind around”) + -ᾱ (-ā, action noun suffix).

af

(nematology) One of a pair of chemosensory sense organs positioned laterally on the head of a nematode.

anfídio

chemosensory organ positioned laterally on the head of nematodes


byssal

the byssal threads

(malacology) Of or pertaining to the byssi, filaments secreted by certain bivalves


malleate

en-adj

malleate (comparative more malleate, superlative most malleate)

more malleate (comparative)
most malleate (superlative)

From Latin malleātus, perfect passive participle of *malleō (“beat with a hammer”), related to malleus (“a hammer, mallet”).

Malleate trophi are present in such common rotifers as Brachionus, Keratella, and Lecane.

2009, James H. Thorp, Alan P. Covich, editors, Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates, 3rd edition, page 181:

(zoology) Possessing or resembling a malleus, or another structure shaped like a hammer.

malleātus

(zoology) possessing or resembling a malleus

The spire has stronger rib-striæ than C. bequaerti; last whorl finely and closely malleate, with several weak spiral threads.

1919, Henry Augustus Pilsbry, “A Review of the Land Mollusks of the Belgian Congo”, in Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, number 40, page 313:

(malacology, of a shell) Having a surface with shallow round indentations, resembling copper that has been hammered.

malleātus

(malacology) having a surface with shallow round indentations


osmosensation

(nematology, neurology) The sensory perception of osmotic pressure


odortaxis

We measured odortaxis to benzaldehyde.

(nematology) Movement of an organism with respect to, usually towards, a volatile airborne chemical

chemotaxis

used where the chemical is dissolved in water


osmosensitivity

en-noun

osmosensitivity (usually uncountable, plural osmosensitivities)

The mutant strain exhibited reduced osmosensitivity.

(nematology, neurology) An organism's degree of sensitivity to osmotic gradients


daphniid

(zoology) Any water flea of the family Daphniidae


macroinvertebrate

(zoology) An invertebrate that is large enough to be seen without the use of a microscope


plica

plica (countable and uncountable, plural plicas or plicae)

From Medieval Latin, from Latin plicare (“to fold”).

(zoology) The bend of the wing of a bird.


herptile

From herpetology (and similar words), by blending with reptile.

Of all the vertebrates, the herptiles (reptiles and amphibians), mammals and birds predominate in terrestrial grassland ecosystems.

1980, L. D. Harris, G. B. Bowman, “Vertebrate predator subsystem, chapter 6”, in Alicja I. Breymeyer, George M. Van Dyne, editors, Grasslands, systems analysis, and man, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 592:

Because of the higher primary and secondary productivity in treatment wetlands compared to natural wetlands, herptile populations and all other higher consumer groups are frequently abundant.

1996, Robert H. Kadlec, Robert Lee Knight, Treatment Wetlands: Theory and Implementation, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 169:

Forty vertebrates [=forty vertebrate species] of concern, including 13 mammals, 17 birds, and 10 herptiles, were selected for analysis (Table 19-3).

2008, Mary M. Rowland, Michael J. Wisdom, “Habitat Networks for Terrestrial Wildlife: Concepts and Case Studies, chapter 19”, in Joshua J. Millspaugh, Frank R. Thompson, III, editors, Models for Planning Wildlife Conservation in Large Landscapes, Academic Press, →ISBN, page 516:

(zoology, chiefly ecology) A reptile or amphibian.


bivium

From Latin bivium (“a place with two ways”).

(zoology) One side of an echinoderm, including a pair of ambulacra, in distinction from the opposite side (trivium), which includes three ambulacra.


homoeotherm

(zoology) Alternative form of homoiotherm


cingulum

/ˈsɪŋɡjələm/

Borrowed from Latin cingulum (“girdle”), from cingō (“to gird”).

(zoology) A distinct girdle or band of color; a raised spiral line as seen on certain univalve shells.


agropastoralist

(anthropology) A member of a people living by a mixture of agriculture and livestock herding


indument

indument (countable and uncountable, plural induments)

Latin indumentum (“a covering”). See indue, and compare induement.


keyness

The keyness of a summarizing symbol derives from the relative fundamentality (or ultimacy) of the meanings which it formulates, relative to other meanings of the system.

1973, Sherry B. Ortner, “On Key Symbols”, in American Anthropology, volume 75:

(anthropology) The degree to which something is key, or important.


Nearctic

(zoology) One of the major ecozones of the world, covering most of the North American continent.

nearktinen

ecozone covering most of the North American continent


Nearctic

(zoology) Relating to the Nearctic ecozone.


arcopallium

(ornithology) A region in the brains of birds that has functions in learning

arquiestriado

region in the brain of birds that has functions in learning


Proto-Yeniseian

(anthropology) A person who spoke the Proto-Yeniseian language.

Proto-ienisseïen

person who spoke the Proto-Yeniseain language


Proto-Yeniseian

(linguistics, anthropology) Of or pertaining to the Proto-Yeniseian language, or the people who spoke it.


endocannibalism

(anthropology) A form of cannibalism, the eating of dead members of one's own social group, often associated with spiritual beliefs.


exocannibalism

(anthropology) A form of cannibalism, the eating of members of other social groups than one's own, as opposed to endocannibalism.


bipennate

It then follows that bipennate muscles generate even more force than unipennate ones of similar volume, and the force increases with the angle of pennation.

1999, Christopher McGowan, A Practical Guide to Vertebrate Mechanics:

Beneath the deltoid lies the external rotators of the shoulders, including the bipennate infraspinatus and the teres minor (Fig. 5-20B).

2007, Neal S. Elattrache, Christopher D. Harner, Raffy Mirzayan, Jon K. Sekiya, editors, Surgical Techniques in Sports Medicine, page 50:

Bipennate muscles have a central tendon with oblique insertion fibers on both sides, eg, the rectus femoris (Figure 1.3c).

2008, John O'Neill, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Anatomy and Technique, page 4:

(medicine, anatomy, zoology) Of, pertaining to, or having the nature of a muscle, the fibres of which attach to a tendon on two sides (as a feather barbed on both sides).


testudinal

‘Your nightclubs. What do you say?’ He blinked slowly, like a tortoise.
The clubs were worth twice that, at least. Another testudinal blink from Azzopardi.

2022, Kate Atkinson, Shrines of Gaiety, Doubleday, page 121:


oviraptorid

(zoology) A member of the Oviraptoridae, birdlike maniraptoran dinosaurs.


lepidosaur

(zoology) A member of the Lepidosauria, reptiles with overlapping scales


paleoethnobotany

(archaeology) The study of plant remains from archaeological sites.

archéobotanique

the study of plant remains from archaeological sites


archaeobotanist

(archaeology) A person engaged in archaeobotany.


blackback

The author worked with two main study groups of gorilla in that region. Each contained a fully mature male (silverback), who was the obvious leader of the group, and a younger male of around 9 years of age (blackback), who had not yet assumed full adult morphology.

1979, A. H. Harcourt, “Contrasts between Male Relationships in Wild Gorilla Groups,”, in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, volume 5, number 1, page 40:

The second-ranking silverback is also a possible sire in the sixth case, although three other lower-ranking blackback males were also not excluded.

2005, B. J. Bradley et al., “Mountain Gorilla Tug-of-War,”, in PNAS, volume 102, number 26, page 9421:

(zoology) An adolescent male gorilla or chimpanzee.


sacrocaudal

(anatomy, zoology) Of or pertaining to the sacrum and the tail


dauer

Borrowed from German Dauer (“duration”).

When Caenorhabditis elegans larvae enter dauer they arrest feeding but remain active and motile, yet become stress-resistant, extremely long-lived and non-ageing.

2008 December 3, Patrick Narbonne, Richard Roy, “Caenorhabditis elegans dauers need LKB1/AMPK to ration lipid reserves and ensure long-term survival”, in Nature:

(nematology) A developmental stage of certain nematode larvae in which they exhibit increased durability.


myrmecological

en-adj

myrmecological (comparative more myrmecological, superlative most myrmecological)

more myrmecological (comparative)
most myrmecological (superlative)


arris

From Old French areste, from Latin arista (“beard (of grain), fishbone”). Doublet of arista.

der

(archaeology) A ridge formed on the surface of flaked stone, such as an arrowhead or hand axe, as the result of the intersection of two or more flake removals.


roed

roed fish


arthrodire

The basicranial circulation of Ptomacanthus resembles that in arthrodire placoderms.

2009 January 15, Martin D. Brazeau, “The braincase and jaws of a Devonian 'acanthodian' and modern gnathostome origins”, Nature Volume 457 No. 7227, doi:10.1038/nature07436

(zoology) Any member of the extinct order Arthrodira, armored jawed fishes that flourished in the Devonian period.


gnathostome

/ˈnæθəstəʊm/

Current conceptions of gnathostome phylogeny depict a rather simplistic arrangement of nominally monophyletic and, apparently, morphologically disparate groups.

(zoology) Any vertebrate with jaws, including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and most modern fish, in contrast with the Agnatha


acanthodian

The emerging picture of acanthodian (and perhaps placoderm) paraphyly does not overturn a general consensus about gnathostome interrelationships.

(zoology) A member of a group of extinct fish (Acanthodii) that existed from the Silurian to the Permian period.


anapsid

From scientific Latin Anapsida, from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-, “not”) + ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch”).

The anapsid skull: snub-nosed like an artillery shell, shockingly powerful and primitive.

2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 186:

(zoology) Pertaining to the group of reptiles whose skulls do not have openings near the temples, originally considered as a specific subclass


anapsid

(zoology) A member of this group of reptiles, including the turtles, tortoises and terrapins.

anapsido

Reptile with a skull that has no openings near the temples


cynodont

From cyno- + -odont, from Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn, “dog”) and ὀδόντος (odóntos), genitive singular of ὀδούς (odoús, “tooth, tusk”).

The Triassic immediately followed a devastating mass extinction, and the cynodonts diversified in its aftermath in much the same way mammals did in the Paleocene.

2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 160:

(zoology) Any of several small carnivorous synapsids in the clade Cynodontia, ancestral to mammals and extinct close relatives.


animatism

en-noun

animatism (countable and uncountable, plural animatisms)

From animate + -ism. Originally coined by British anthropologist Robert Marett to refer to "a belief in a generalized, impersonal power over which people have some measure of control".

(anthropology) The belief that everything is pervaded by a life force giving each inanimate object a consciousness or personality, but not a soul as in animism.


micraner

(entomology) An unusually small male ant.


macraner

(entomology) An unusually large male ant.


macrourid

(zoology) Any fish of the family Macrouridae; a rattail.


macrergate

(entomology) An unusually large worker ant.


micrergate

(entomology) An unusually small worker ant.


pseudovirgin

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pseudovirgin.wav

(entomology) A female of certain species that has mated but has not received sperm.


Abitibi

From Algonquin abi'ta-bi-g (“halfway across water”), from abi'ta (“halfway”) + bi (“water”).

bor

(ethnography, Canada) A member of a certain Algonquin people of Ontario.


mokele-mbembe

From Lingala, possibly meaning "one who stops the flow of rivers", or "rainbow".

The mokele mbembes' favorite hangout was a big lake frequented by the local fishermen […]

1995, Tom Logsdon, Understanding the Navstar:

Local pygmies, who have given the creature its name, have allegedly encountered the mokele-mbembe, which they say is the size of an elephant […]

2003, Robert Todd Carroll, The Skeptic's Dictionary:

The swamps are intersected by many rivers, and the whole region is lush and largely inaccessible, providing any number of Mokele-Mbembes adequate food […]

2005, Rich Gray, Click or Treat: The Best of Halloween and Horror on the Internet:

A large water-dwelling cryptid described in legends of the Congo River basin.


ookinete

(zoology) The motile zygote of a parasite of the malaria mosquito that forms an oocyst in the mosquito's gut


doocot

The rock dove has so interbred with the feral pigeons from doocots and racing pigeon lofts that, as a pure species, it may possibly now be extinct in Britain.

2009 January 29, Ray Collier, “Country diary”, in The Guardian:


archaeogenetic

(archaeology, genetics) Of or pertaining to archaeogenetics


archaeogenetics

(archaeology, genetics) The application of population genetics to archaeology

archeogenetika

the application of population genetics to archaeology


archaeometallurgist

(archaeology) An expert in archaeometallurgy.


archaeometallurgy

(archaeology, metallurgy) The study of the prehistory of metal extraction and working


symplectic

A calque of complex, coined by Hermann Weyl in his 1939 book The Classical Groups: Their Invariants and Representations. From Ancient Greek συμπλεκτικός (sumplektikós), from συμ (sum) (variant of σύν (sún)), + πλεκτικός (plektikós) (from πλέκω (plékō)); modelled on complex (from Latin complexus (“braided together”), from com- (“together”) + plectere (“to weave, braid”)).
The symplectic group has previously been called the line complex group.

der

συμπλεκτικός

The symplectics (9) consist of a somewhat curved central triangular portion with the base upward, and anteriorly and posteriorly from this extends a wing-like process.

1914, The Philippine Journal of Science, Volume 9, page 27:

The symplectics (Fig. 8, sym) are thin slender bones placed vertically in between the quadrates and the hyomandibulars.

1965, Agra University Journal of Research: Science, Volume 14, page 71:

In many teleosts, on the other hand, including the catfishes, the symplectics have been entirely lost.

1967, Tyson R. Roberts, Studies on the Osteology and Phylogeny of Characoid Fishes, page 59:

(ichthyology) A bone in the teleostean fishes that forms the lower ossification of the suspensorium, and which articulates below with the quadrate bone by which it is firmly held.


countersing

en-verb

countersing (third-person singular simple present countersings, present participle countersinging, simple past countersang, past participle countersung)

countersings (present singular third-person)
countersinging (participle present)
countersang (past)
countersung (participle past)

(ethology, of a bird) To sing in response to the song of another


colobus

(zoology) Any of several large arboreal African monkeys of the genus Colobus.


articulus

Borrowed from Latin articulus. Doublet of article.

(zoology) A joint of the cirri of the Crinoidea.

(zoology) A joint or segment of an arthropod appendage.

artículo

a joint or segment of an arthropod appendage


suffrago

(zoology) The joint between the tibia and tarsus, such as the hock of a horse's hind leg or the heel of a bird.


caenophidian

(zoology) Any snake of the superfamily once known as Caenophidia (now known as Colubroidea)


calcarean

(zoology) Any sponge, of the class Calcarea, that has a skeleton composed of calcium carbonate spicules.


crocodyliform

(zoology) Any reptile of the order Crocodylia; the crocodiles, alligators etc.


elopomorph

(ichthyology) Any of fish of the superorder Elopomorpha, including bonefish, tarpon, and many eels and eel-like fish.


dipnoan

(zoology) Any fish of the subclass Dipnoi, the lungfish, (including the closest living relatives to the ancestor of the tetrapods).


dyrosaurid

(zoology) Any of several extinct crocodyliforms of the family †Dyrosauridae


demosponge

From Ancient Greek δῆμος (dêmos, “common people”) + sponge, after the class name Demospongiae.

der

We know that at least some living calcified demosponges grow extremely slowly (0.2 mm/year Willems and Hartman 1985) and, since individuals can grow up to 1 m in diameter, are also very old (up to 5000 years).

1991, R. Wood, “Non-Spicular Biomineralization in Calcified Demosponges”, in Joachim Reitner, Helmut Keupp, editors, Fossil and Recent Sponges, Springer,, page 338:

Demosponges have siliceous spicules and a network of fibrous protein, spongir, that is similar to collagen. The demosponges are the source of natural household sponges, which are made by soaking dead sponges in shallow water until all the cellular material has decayed, leaving the spongin network behind.

2011, Naomi E. Balaban, James E. Bobick, editors, The Handy Science Answer Book, 4th edition, Visible Ink Press, page 466:

Demosponges, the class to which the barrel sponge belongs, are the oldest still existing multicellular animals for which there are unambiguous traces in the Cryogenian, or ‘snowball Earth’, period of the late Proterozic.

2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 36:

(zoology) A sponge of the class Demospongiae, having skeletons made of spongin fibers.


mating season

(zoology) The time of the year during which members of a certain species of animal tend to mate.


geoarchaeology

(archaeology) Usage of geological techniques in archaeology.


guereza

From the native name in Ethiopia. Compare Sebat Bet Gurage gureza, Amharic ጉሬዛ (gureza), Oromo gureezaa.

(zoology) A reddish-brown colobus monkey from Abyssinia.


interorbital

(zoology) Any of the scales between the orbits.


madtsoiid

(zoology) Any of several extinct snakes of the family Madtsoiidae


folk art

en-noun

folk art (countable and uncountable, plural folk arts)

Mr. Finster's work emerged at a time when traditional definitions of folk art were being expanded to include a diverse range of faith-driven, stylistically raw work known as outsider art that was frequently made by Southern blacks and whites who eked out livings as farmers or repairmen.

2001 October 23, Roberta Smith, “Howard Finster, Folk Artist and Preacher, Dies at 84”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Advocates of the “folk art” term stretched its meaning to the maximum in order to include under the same rubric the peaceful landscapes of Grandma Moses and the provocative and disturbing watercolors of Henry Darger.

2015, Víctor M. Espinosa, Martín Ramírez: Framing His Life and Art, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 183:


crocodylomorph

(zoology) Any crocodilian or extinct relative in the superorder Crocodylomorpha.


mesoeucrocodylian

The new species possesses a combination of primitive and derived features that helps to fill wide morphological and temporal gaps in early mesoeucrocodylian history.

2002 September 20, Ronald S. Tykoski, “Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona”, in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, volume 22, number 3, page 593:

For mesoeucrocodylians known on the basis of incomplete skeletal remains, body size is generally estimated from skull length-total length relationships in extant crocodylians (Webb and Messel, 1978; Woodward el al., 1995; Sereno et al., 2001).

2005 June 20, James O. Farlow, “Femoral dimenstions and body size of Alligator mississippiensis: Estimating the size of extinct mesoeucrocodylians”, in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, number 2, page 354:

The mesoeucrocodylians were known previously as the Mesosuchia.

2015, Gordon Grigg, Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians, page 43:

(zoology) Any of a group of mostly extinct crocodylomorphs of the clade Mesoeucrocodylia.


metathorax

metathorax (plural metathoraxes or metathoraces)

metathoraxes (plural)
metathoraces (plural)

Holonym: thorax

Comeronyms: prothorax, mesothorax

(entomology) The hindmost of the three sections of the thorax of an insect, carrying the posterior pair of legs and the hindwings when present.

zadohruď

the hindmost of the three sections of the thorax of an insect


anomalocaridid

In 2009, the amazing description of a single specimen of Schinderhannes bartelsi appeared to extend the history of arthropod-like anomalocaridids by a whopping 100 million years, although the true affinity of Schinderhannes is still contested so it may be an Elvis or Lazarus taxon.

The second youngest anomalocaridid yet discovered is a bizarre giant from the deeper Ordovician waters of Fezouata in Morocco, called Aegirocassis.

2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 230:

(zoology) Any of a group of large marine animals of the family †Anomalocarididae, known only from fossils.


nuraghe

/nʊəˈɹɑːɡeɪ/

Borrowed from Italian nuraghe, from Sardinian.

(archaeology) A dry-stone round megalithic tower found in Sardinia.


arachnomorph

(zoology) Any arthropod of the clade Arachnomorpha


archaeobotanical

(archaeology) Of or pertaining to archaeobotany


alatae

(entomology) An insect that possesses wings.


deutocerebrum

(zoology) The median lobes of the brain of an insect.

deutocérebro

the median lobes of the brain of an insect


underwing

The ‘white-tailed’ kites in the genus Elanus (‘kite’) are small, gull-like, grey-and-white hawks with black forewing patches and varying amounts of black on the underwings.

2019, Stephen Debus, “Small Kites, Genus Elanus”, in Birds of Prey of Australia: A Field Guide, 3rd edition, Clayton South, Vic.: CSIRO Publishing, →ISBN, part II (Handbook), page 113:

(ornithology) The underside of a bird's wing.


euarthropod

(zoology) Any arthropod of the taxon Euarthropoda, "true" arthropods.


ecdysozoan

(zoology) Any of a group of protostomes of the superphylum Ecdysozoa, known for shedding their exoskeleton.


lamellipedian

(zoology) Any arthropod having flat exopod setae


exopod

(zoology) The outer ramus of a biramous limb of a crustacean.


megacheiran

(zoology) Any arthropod with a relatively large appendage


kinorhynch

/ˈkʌɪnə(ʊ)ɹɪŋk/

Allison Daley, a paleontologist at the University of Lausanne, said two species in the fossil haul stood out to her. The first was a kinorhynch, otherwise known as a mud dragon.

2019 March 21, Ian Sample, The Guardian:

(zoology) Any of many microscopic marine animals of the phylum Kinorhyncha.


loriciferan

(zoology) Any of several marine animals of the phylum Loricifera.


lobopod

Onychophorans […] have cylindrical segmented bodies with many pairs of legs called lobopods, which are essentially fluid-filled bags.

2016 October 12, Susannah Lydon, “How did the velvet worm cross the world? The answer lies in amber”, in The Guardian:

(zoology) Any of the numerous stub-legs of a lobopodian; a lobopodium.

The early lobopods have a melange of characteristics that makes their position on the tree of life difficult to pin down.

2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 261:

(zoology) A panarthropod of the extinct phylum †Lobopodia.


meron

Back-formed from epimeron, ultimately from μῆρος (mêros, “thigh”).

(entomology) A sclerite on the side of the thorax of an insect, above the coxae of the mid and hind legs.


monodon

(zoology) Any toothed whale (such as the narwhal) of the family Monodontidae.


myriapod

(zoology) Any arthropod (such as centipedes and millipedes) of the subphylum Myriapoda.


nematomorph

Formed as nemato- + -morph after the scientific Latin Nēmatomorpha.

(zoology) Any of many worms of the phylum Nematomorpha.


oribatid

(zoology) Any of a group of mites of the suborder Oribatida


orthopteran

From translingual Orthoptera (“order of insects”) + -an.

affix

(entomology) Any of many insects of the order Orthoptera.


onychophoran

From scientific Latin Onychophora (corresponding to onycho- + -phore) + -an.

When India collided with Asia (incidentally creating the Himalayas), the onychophorans could spread northwards from India instead.

(zoology) Any of many wormlike carnivorous ecdysozoan animals of the phylum Onychophora.


paleognath

(zoology) Any bird of the infraclass Paleognathae.


panarthropod

(zoology) Any of many animals of the clade Panarthropoda.


panderichthyid

(zoology) Any of several prehistoric fish of the family Panderichthyidae


paracotylar

(zoology) Extending across or beyond a cotyle


craniate

(zoology) Any member of the clade Craniata, having bony skulls.


pythonid

(zoology) Any of the family Pythonidae of non-venomous snakes, distinguished from the boids by teeth on the premaxilla.


phanaeine

(zoology) Any of several dung beetles of the genus Phanaeus.


cetomimid

(zoology) Any whalefish of the family Cetomimidae.


lophotrochozoan

(zoology) Any protostome animal of the superphylum Lophotrochozoa.


mirapinnid

(zoology) Any of several genera of deep-sea fish of the family Mirapinnidae, now known to be the larval forms of whalefish in the family Cetomimidae.

megalomycterid

the male forms, also once thought to be a separate family


diapsid

clipping

translingual <i class="Latn mention" lang="mul">Diapsida</i>

(zoology) Any of very many reptiles, of the subclass Diapsida, that have a pair of openings in the skull behind each eye


dryolestid

A dog-sized dryolestid, Peligrotherium, the ‘lazy beast’, is known from the early Paleocene of Patagonia, while another, Necrolestes, the ‘grave-robber’, is from the same part of the world, but much later, in the Miocene.

2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherlands, Penguin, published 2023, page 102:

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct mammals of the order †Dryolestida.


meridiungulate

(zoology) Any of the South American mammals of the extinct clade †Meridiungulata.


multitubercolate

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct mammals of the order Multituberculata


pantodont

(zoology) Any of many extinct mammals of the suborder Pantodonta


pantolest

(zoology) Any of several extinct mammals of the suborder †Pantolesta


pleurodire

(zoology) Any of a group of side-necked turtles of the suborder Pleurodira


podocnemidid

(zoology) Any of a group of side-necked turtles of the family Podocnemididae


sirenian

/sʌɪˈɹiːnɪən/

From the scientific name, translingual Sirenia.

The cetaceans (whales and dolphins) together with the sirenians (sea cows and manatees) are the sea mammals best-adapted to the seas of today, but it is the cetaceans that have most engaged the attention of mankind as both prey and fellow sentient being.

2011 September 22, Richard Shelton, “Sheep, pig, whale”, in Times Literary Supplement:

(zoology) Any of a group of aquatic, herbivorous mammals of the order Sirenia, a manatee or a dugong.


tillodont

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct mammals of the order Tillodontia.


taeniodont

From Ancient Greek ταινία (tainía, “band, ribbon”) + -odont.

der

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct mammals of the suborder Taeniodonta


ovipara

From New Latin, neuter plural of oviparus (“oviparous”).


urtext

(music, linguistics, anthropology) The original version of a piece of music or text, as created by the composer or writer.


uninjected

(biology, zoology) Not having received an injection.


antiarch

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct placoderms of the order Antiarchi


atherinomorph

(zoology) Any of a group of rainbowfish and silversides of the order Atherinomorpha.


arthrodiran

(zoology) Any of a group of extinct fish of the order Arthrodira.


carcharhiniform

(zoology) Any ground shark of the order Carcharhiniformes.


clasper

(zoology) Any of several appendages, in insects, crustacea and fish, that are used to clasp the female during copulation.


foraminiferan

/fəˌɹamɪˈnɪfəɹən/

Eocene foraminiferans are very different from Pliocene ones, and even within the Eocene there are many fine time divisions that can be recognised using foraminifera.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 146:

(zoology, paleontology) An organism of the phylum Foraminifera; a foraminifer.


holocephalan

(zoology) Any cartilaginous fish of the subclass Holocephali; a chimera.


matrilineality

(anthropology) The condition of being matrilineal


patrilineality

en-noun

patrilineality (countable and uncountable, plural patrilinealities)

(uncountable, anthropology) The state or condition of conforming to agnatic lineality, the condition of being patrilineal.

(countable, anthropology) An example of patrilineal descent or kinship.


phyllolepid

(zoology) Any extinct placoderm of the order †Phyllolepida.


allomother

/ˈæləˌmʌðə(ɹ)/

Within hours of birth, baby langurs are spirited away from their mothers. They spend up to 50 percent of daylight hours passed from allomother to allomother

2000, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and how They Shape the Human Species, page 162:

Among the !Kung foragers of the Kalahari, babies are held by a father, grandmother, older sibling or some other allomother maybe 25 percent of the time.

2009 March 3, Natalie Angier, “In a Helpless Baby, the Roots of Our Social Glue”, in New York Times:

(zoology) A human or other creature that provides some maternal care for the young born of another.


pycnogonid

(zoology) Any sea spider of the class Pycnogonida.


proventriculus

From New Latin proventriculus (19th century), from pro- + ventriculus.

In fulmars, the proventriculus is very baggy, and has thick wrinkled walls lined with glands that excrete the waxy oil which courting birds pass to one another in small amounts, perhaps as a way of scent-marking their mate.

2020, Tim Ecott, The Land of Maybe, Short Books, published 2021, page 201:

(zoology) The part of the avian stomach, between the crop and the gizzard, that secretes digestive enzymes.

(zoology) A similar part of the digestive system in insects and myriapods.


beaker people

(archaeology) People of a late Neolithic and early Bronze Age culture of northern and western Europe who made distinctive earthenware vessels.


archaeozoological

(archaeology) Of or pertaining to archaeozoology


projectile point

projectile point (plural projectile points)

(archaeology) The head or tip of a shaft that is thrown (that is, projected away from the user) as a weapon.


cervid

(zoology) Any animal (such as the deer) of the family Cervidae.


miliary

(zoology) One of the small tubercles of Echinus sea urchins.


building site

(archaeology) The site of a former structure, indicated by an assemblage of features, artifacts or debris, remote-sensing data, or historic records (e.g., deed records).


caprid

(zoology) Of or pertaining to the subfamily Caprinae of ruminants, of which the goat (genus Capra) is the type; Ovis (sheep) are also members.


caprid

(zoology) Any member of the subfamily Caprinae.


rhynchocephalian

(zoology) Any of a group of reptiles of the order Rhynchocephalia; a tuatara.


porcate

en-adj

porcate (comparative more porcate, superlative most porcate)

more porcate (comparative)
most porcate (superlative)

Latin porca (“a ridge between two furrows”).

(zoology) Having grooves or furrows broader than the intervening ridges; furrowed.


nest box

A man-made box provided for wild birds or small animals to nest in.


geoglyph

/ˈd͡ʒiːə(ʊ)ɡlɪf/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-geoglyph.wav

/ˈd͡ʒiːəɡlɪf/

From geo- (“the Earth; geography”) + glyph (“figure carved in relief or incised”), modelled after petroglyph.

prefix

These, and almost 100 others stretched along the Colorado River in the California and Arizona deserts, are called geoglyphs or earth carvings by scientists. [...] Although their exact purpose and meaning are still a mystery, we do know these large and delicate geoglyphs are easily damaged by vehicles breaking through the desert surface and obliterating the figures.

1982, “6,000 Years Ago: Blythe, California: Giants of the Desert”, in Your Fragile Legacy: Cultural and Fossil Resources on the Public Lands, [Washington, D.C.]: Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior, →OCLC, columns 2–3:

Geoglyphs usually are found on fans sparse of rock, but what seems the oldest of the scraped designs are on cobbled terraces at Denning Springs, Ocotillo, Death Valley, and above the Mojave River.

1987, Ken Hedges, editor, Rock Art Papers (San Diego Museum Papers; number 23), volume 5, San Diego, Calif.: San Diego Museum of Man, →ISBN, page 38:

Two of the prehistoric sites, a quarry and a special task area, are common in the region, but the other site, a geoglyph, is rare and unique.

1989 May, “Affected Environment”, in Proposed 1988 Plan Amendments to the California Desert Conservation Area Plan of 1980: Environmental Assessment, Riverside, Calif.: California Desert District, Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior, →OCLC, page 3-3:

Another important form of artistic expression during the ERD period, particularly on the south coast of Peru, was gigantic geoglyphs or man-made desert markings. The idea is ancient. [...] Large geoglyphs are found as far south as the far north coast of Chile. However, by far the largest and best-known concentration occur on the stony desert plains around the Río Grande de Nazca drainage (in a roughly 200-km² area). They are popularly known as the "Nazca Lines."

1999, Izumi Shimada, “The Evolution of Andean Diversity: Regional Formations (500 b.c.e.–c.e. 600)”, in Frank Salomon, Stuart B. Schwartz, editors, The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas, volume III (South America, Part 1), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 421–422:

What a wonderful adventure, the making of a geoglyph. Geoglyphs include the largest images ever produced by prehistoric man. [...] A geoglyph [To Life (1999), a sculpture by Andrew Rogers] is unusual in the world and even more unusual in Israel where it is located in the wonderful and spectacular desert wilderness near the Dead Sea next to the Jordanian border.

2003, Andrew Rogers, “The Making of a Geoglyph”, in Ken Scarlett, Rhythms of Life: The Art of Andrew Rogers, South Yarra, Vic.: Macmillan Art Publishing, →ISBN, page 226:

Initially crop circles were just that, circles. However, over the years they have evolved into complex and elaborate pictograms – such as the recent ‘Mayan’ circle at West Kennet Long Barrow. Hence, some prefer to speak of them as ‘geoglyphs’. This shift from ‘crop circle’ to ‘geoglyph’ follows a change in their interpretation. Whereas the circle was understood simply to indicate alien presence, the pictogram has led to a belief in explicit communication.

2005, Christopher Partridge, “The Sacralization of the Extraterrestrial”, in The Re-enchantment of the West, volumes II (Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture, and Occulture), London, New York, N.Y.: T&T Clark International, →ISBN, page 203:

The Palpa Valleys have also yielded petroglyphs and geoglyphs, which comprise the direct antecedents of the famous Nasca Lines.

2015, Elsa Tomasto-Cagigao, Markus Reindel, Johny Isla, “Paracas Funerary Practices in Palpa, South Coast of Perú”, in Peter Eeckhout, Lawrence S. Owens, editors, Funerary Practices and Models in the Ancient Andes: The Return of the Living Dead, New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 69:

IBM Japan and Yamagata University last year presented the first geoglyph — a large human-made ancient formation or design on the ground — identified by AI.

2020 July 1, Carly Minsky, “How AI helps historians solve ancient puzzles”, in Financial Times, retrieved 2021-04-12:

(chiefly archaeology) A large-scale drawing or image made on the ground by arranging lines of stones, scratching the earth, etc., and often only fully visible from a distance or the air.


pleid

(entomology) Any member of the family Pleidae, the pygmy backswimmers


pluteus

(zoology) The free-swimming larvae of echinoderms.


spiralian

(zoology) Any animal belonging to the superphylum Spiralia, known for their spiral cleavage pattern.


subadult

en-adj

subadult (comparative more subadult, superlative most subadult)

more subadult (comparative)
most subadult (superlative)

(entomology) Final instar before reaching sexual maturity.


stadial

stadial (comparative more stadial, superlative most stadial)

more stadial (comparative)
most stadial (superlative)

He drew on the growing ethnographic record contained in travellers' tales about extra-European societies to develop a stadial view of human evolution according to which each society passed through the stages of hunting, pastoral life, farming, and trading – a schema which had no place for scriptural precept.

2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 188:

(archaeology, sociology) Pertaining to or existing in successive stages of a given culture, society etc.


superprecocial

superprecocial (comparative more superprecocial, superlative most superprecocial)

more superprecocial (comparative)
most superprecocial (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superprecocial.wav

(zoology) Very precocial; hatched in a highly developed state.


precocial

From Latin praecŏcĭa (“places where fruits ripen early”).

uder

Being precocial, shorebird chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to forage by themselves, but, as they are not yet homeothermic, they lose body heat while foraging and must be rewarmed by their parents at regular intervals.

2012, Karen L Krijgsveld, Behavioural and physiological adaptations of precocial chicks to arctic environments:

(zoology, of birds) Hatched from the egg already covered in down and with eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days.


spearthrower

1988, Joyce A, Tyldesley, S. R. Snape, Nazlet Tuna: An Archaeological Survey in Middle Egypt, British Archaeological Reports International Series: 414, page 50,
The broad spearthrowers and the long spearthrowers, depicted in ‘early’ and ‘late’ styles respectively, can likewise be related to Cundy′s analysis.

The bearer usually also holds a spearthrower (atlatl), fashioned as an arm-length wand that has circular white (shell) finger holds and a hooked end to launch the spears; these spearthrowers may be embellished with eagle feathers and down balls (Fig. 19ac).

2007, Elizabeth Hill Boone, Cycles of Time and Meaning in the Mexican Books of Fate, page 58:

In the Bunjilaka Gallery of the Melbourne Museum the spearthrower, shown in Figure 4, is on display. The lines on the spearthrower interpret the Journey of the Great Snake Liru, a Dreamtime ancestor.

2010, Dale Kerwin, Aboriginal Dreaming Paths and Trading Routes: The Colonisation of the Australian Economic Landscape, page 10:

(anthropology, archaeology) A hand-held tool used as a lever to increase the throwing distance and penetrating force of a spear or dart, an atlatl; a woomera.


plucking post

A raised structure such as a tree stump which is used regularly by a bird of prey to dismember its prey, removing feathers and various other inedible parts before consuming it.