heterocercal

H4E1T1E1R1O1C3E1R1C3A1L1

adjective

Of a fish's tail, such that the vertebral column bends and extends upwards into the upper lobe of the tail, making it larger than the lower lobe; as in sharks, rays, and skates.

Opposite
homocercal
OriginEnglish cercal ← Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros) ← Proto-Hellenic *hə́teros →
Scrabble 19
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectiveheterocercal (comparative more heterocercal, superlative most heterocercal)

comparative more heterocercal · superlative most heterocercal

  1. biologyOf a fish's tail, such that the vertebral column bends and extends upwards into the upper lobe of the tail, making it larger than the lower lobe; as in sharks, rays, and skates.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
homocercal

adjectivepossessing a tail with the upper lobe larger than the lower and with the vertebral column prolonged into the upper lobe

Opposite
homocercal

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sḿ̥teros
  3. Proto-Hellenic*hə́teros
  4. Ancient Greekἕτερος (héteros)
  5. Englishhetero-
  6. Englishcercal
  7. Englishheterocercal

From hetero- + cercal.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

heterocercal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterocercal

MLA

“heterocercal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterocercal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heterocercal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterocercal.

Source: heterocercal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.