Telolecithal
/ˌtɛloʊˈlɛsɪθəl/noun
Having most of its yolk concentrated toward one pole of an egg, as in bird, reptile, and many fish eggs.
Did you know?The term combines Greek telos, “end,” with lekithos, “yolk”—a scientific naming tradition that turns an egg’s uneven architecture into a precise developmental code.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
τέλος (telos)
“End, completion, goal, or purpose”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λέκιθος (lekithos)
“Yolk”
19th Century
New Latin
telolecithal
“Formed as a zoological compound meaning having yolk concentrated toward one end”
19th Century
Scientific English
telolecithal
“Describing eggs whose yolk is concentrated at one pole”
Modern English
English
telolecithal
“Having strongly polar, or unevenly distributed, yolk in the egg”