Flipperlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a shape or form similar to that of a flipper used for swimming
2. Exhibiting characteristics that make it look like the flat, paddle-like limb of aquatic animals
3. Showing features that imitate the wide, flat appendages used by certain creatures for propulsion in water

Etymology: Flipper, the noun for a wide, flat limb used to swim, is the base, and "-like" is the ordinary English suffix meaning "resembling" or "having the appearance of." Put together, "flipperlike" describes anything that takes on the shape or function of such a limb. The compound is entirely transparent: nothing in its make-up changes meaning from its parts. The suffix "-like" is itself old native English material, descending from the Old English "gelīc," meaning "having the same form or body," which is also the source of "alike." Over the centuries it became productive enough to attach to almost any noun, which is why coinages like this one can be formed on the spot. Speakers rarely need a dictionary to understand them, since the meaning follows directly from the two halves. The word is most often used in technical or descriptive contexts, such as talking about the paddle-shaped fins of sea turtles or penguins, or about artificial swimming aids. The compound follows the same pattern as "bird-like" or "hand-like."

Synonyms: flipper-shaped, finlike, paddle-like, winglike, limb-like

Antonyms: non-flipperlike, clawlike, footlike