Meanings
- not comparablebiologyPertaining to the group of reptiles whose skulls do not have openings near the temples, originally considered as a specific subclass
The anapsid skull: snub-nosed like an artillery shell, shockingly powerful and primitive.
2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 186
plural anapsids
- biologyA member of this group of reptiles, including the turtles, tortoises and terrapins.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounprimitive reptile having no opening in the temporal region of the skull; all extinct except turtles
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀν-“not”
- Englishanapsid
From scientific Latin Anapsida, from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-, “not”) + ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French anapside
- anapsideReptile with a skull that has no openings near the temples
Italian anapsido
- anapsidoReptile with a skull that has no openings near the temples
Polish anapsyd
- anapsydReptile with a skull that has no openings near the temples
Portuguese anápsida
- anápsidaReptile with a skull that has no openings near the temples
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
anapsid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anapsid
“anapsid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anapsid. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anapsid,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anapsid.
Source: anapsid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.