xiphiplastron

X8I1P3H4I1P3L1A1S1T1R1O1N1

noun

The posterior, or fourth lateral plate in the plastron of a turtle.

Scrabble 27
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounxiphiplastron (plural xiphiplastrons or xiphiplastra)

plural xiphiplastrons · plural xiphiplastra

  1. The posterior, or fourth lateral plate in the plastron of a turtle.

Origin

Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1872 as xipho- + plastron. Superseded the earlier xiphisternum, a nominalised form of the French adjective xiphisternal, coined by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1818. The prefix is from Ancient Greek ξιφοειδής (xiphoeidḗs, “sword-shaped”), ultimately from ξίφος (xíphos, “sword”), in analogy with the xiphoid process at the posteriormost end of the human sternum.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“xiphiplastron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xiphiplastron. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xiphiplastron,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xiphiplastron.

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