coelacanth
noun/ˈsiːləkænθ/
/ˈsiːləkænθ/
- a large fish found mainly in the seas near Madagascar. It was thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 1938.Topics Fish and shellfishc2Word Originmid 19th cent.: from modern Latin Coelacanthus (genus name), from Greek koilos ‘hollow’ + akantha ‘spine’ (its fins have hollow spines).
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