Chondrichthye

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fish whose skeleton is made of cartilage rather than bone, such as a shark, ray, or chimaera
2. Any member of the group of jawed fishes with a skeleton of cartilage, including sharks, skates, and rays
3. A cartilaginous marine fish belonging to the class of sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras

Etymology: Chondrichthyes is the scientific name for the class of cartilaginous fishes, a group that includes sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras. The name was coined in the 19th century from two Greek roots: "chondros", meaning cartilage or grain, and "ichthys", meaning fish. Taken together, it describes fish whose skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bone. The plural form "chondrichthyes" is the usual Latinised plural of the singular "chondrichthys", and it is the form used in zoological classification, where the group is ranked as a class. The singular is sometimes used for an individual member, though "chondrichthyan" is the more common English adjective and noun for these animals. Ancient Greek writers did not have this word, since it belongs to the scientific naming system that developed in the 1800s, when naturalists drew on classical roots to name newly described groups. The Greek elements remain transparent, which is why the name reads so plainly today.

Synonyms: chondrichthyan, cartilaginous fish, elasmobranch

Antonyms: bony fish