Amyelous

/əˈmaɪɛləs/ adjective

Definition

Lacking a spinal cord or bone marrow; relating to the absence of marrow tissue.

Etymology

From Greek a- (without) + myelos (marrow) + -ous (adjective suffix meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by'). The term emphasizes the quality of being without marrow.

Kelly Says

While most spinal cord defects let some marrow form, truly 'amyelous' organisms would be unable to function—which is why you basically never see this in living animals except in the most severe birth defects.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

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