mesoplastron

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noun

either of a pair of transverse hexagonal bones in a turtle that lie between the hyoplastral and hypoplastral bones

OriginFrench mésoplastron →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounmesoplastron (plural mesoplastra)

plural mesoplastra

  1. biologyeither of a pair of transverse hexagonal bones in a turtle that lie between the hyoplastral and hypoplastral bones

Origin

  1. Frenchmésoplastron
  2. Englishmesoplastron

Borrowed in 1888 from French mésoplastron, ultimately from German Mesoplastron, coined by Karl Alfred von Zittel in 1877 as meso- + plastron. Superseded the earlier mesosternum, a nominalised form of the adjective mesosternal, coined by Richard Owen in 1853. The prefix is from Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, “middle”), in reference to its position between the hyoplastron and the hypoplastron.

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Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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