Agnathous
/æɡˈneɪθəs/noun
Having no jaws, especially describing primitive vertebrates such as lampreys and hagfishes.
Did you know?Agnathous animals include lampreys and hagfishes, descendants of one of the earliest vertebrate lineages—predating the evolution of hinged jaws.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“A reconstructed root associated with the jaw or cheek region”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γνάθος (gnáthos)
“Jaw”
19th Century
New Latin
Agnathus
“Jawless; a zoological formation using Greek a- (“without”) and gnathos (“jaw”)”
19th Century
English
agnathous
“Having no jaws, especially in zoological classification”
Modern English
English
agnathous
“Lacking jaws, as in lampreys and hagfishes”