Aliform

/ˈælɪfɔrm/ adjective

Definition

Shaped like or resembling a wing; having a wing-like form or structure, used in anatomy and botany.

Etymology

From Latin 'ala' (wing) + '-form' (from 'forma' meaning shape). This combines the Latin root for wing with the common suffix creating words that describe wing-shaped things.

Kelly Says

The prefix 'ali-' meaning wing shows up everywhere in science—aliform, aliferous, alate. It's because wings are such a perfect evolutionary solution that biologists can't stop describing things as wing-shaped.

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