vestigial structure

noun

A structure in an organism that has lost all or most of its original function in the course of evolution, such as human appendixes.

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Meanings

nounvestigial structure (plural vestigial structures)

plural vestigial structures

  1. evolutionary theoryA structure in an organism that has lost all or most of its original function in the course of evolution, such as human appendixes.
Cite this entry
APA

vestigial structure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vestigial%20structure

MLA

“vestigial structure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vestigial%20structure. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vestigial structure,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vestigial%20structure.

Source: vestigial structure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.