Amphioxides

/æmfɪˈɒksɪdiːz/ noun

Definition

A taxonomic subfamily or grouping related to amphioxus organisms, used in older or alternative classification systems.

Etymology

From 'amphioxus' + the Greek suffix '-ides', meaning 'descendant of' or 'member of a group'. This suffix was commonly used in classical taxonomy before modern binomial classification became standard.

Kelly Says

Scientific names are like family trees written in Latin—'-ides' means 'kids of' or 'tribe of,' so amphioxides literally means 'the amphioxus family' in old-school zoological terms.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.