coelacanth
Syllabification: (coe·la·canth)
Pronunciation: /ˈsēləˌkanTH/
Definition of coelacanth
noun
- a large, bony marine fish with a three-lobed tail fin and fleshy pectoral fins. It is thought to be related to the ancestors of land vertebrates and was known only from fossils until one was found alive in 1938; since then others have been found near the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean and off Sulawesi, Indonesia.
- Latimeria chalumnae, family Latimeriidae (or Coelacanthidae), subclass Crossopterygii
Origin:
mid 19th century: from modern Latin Coelacanthus (genus name), from Greek koilos 'hollow' + akantha 'spine' (because its fins have hollow spines)
