Carnassial: meaning, definitions and examples

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carnassial

 

[ ˈkɑːrnæsiəl ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

biology

Relating to or denoting the large shearing teeth of a carnivorous mammal, such as a cat or dog.

Examples of usage

  • The carnassial teeth are used for cutting and shearing meat.
  • Cats have well-developed carnassial teeth for tearing flesh.

Translations

Translations of the word "carnassial" in other languages:

🇵🇹 carnassial

🇮🇳 मांसाहारी दांत

🇩🇪 Reißzahn

🇮🇩 gigi karnivora

🇺🇦 хижий зуб

🇵🇱 ząb łamliwy

🇯🇵 裂肉歯

🇫🇷 carnassier

🇪🇸 carnicero

🇹🇷 etçil diş

🇰🇷 육식 이빨

🇸🇦 سن مفترس

🇨🇿 trhací zub

🇸🇰 trhací zub

🇨🇳 裂齿

🇸🇮 mesojedi zob

🇮🇸 kjötæta tönn

🇰🇿 етеу тіс

🇬🇪 ხორცისმჭამელი კბილი

🇦🇿 yırtıcı diş

🇲🇽 carnicero

Etymology

The word 'carnassial' originates from the Latin word 'carn-' meaning 'flesh' and 'assidere' meaning 'to cut'. It has been used in biology to describe the specialized teeth of carnivorous mammals for cutting and shearing meat. The term has been in use since the 19th century.