English

Alternative forms

• acanthodean

Noun

acanthodian ‎(plural acanthodians)

1. (zoology) A member of a group of extinct fish (Acanthodii) that existed from the Silurian to the Permian period.[First attested in the mid 19th century.]^[1]
   • 2009 January 15, Martin D. Brazeau, “The braincase and jaws of a Devonian 'acanthodian' and modern gnathostome origins”, Nature Volume 457 No. 7227, doi:10.1038/nature07436: 

     The emerging picture of acanthodian (and perhaps placoderm) paraphyly does not overturn a general consensus about gnathostome interrelationships.

Translations

Adjective

acanthodian ‎(not comparable)

1. Pertaining to Acanthodii.[First attested in the mid 19th century.]^[1]

References

1. 1 2 Brown, Lesley, ed. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. 5th. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.