vestigial
pronunciation
How to pronounce vestigial in British English:
UK [veˈstɪdʒiəl]
How to pronounce vestigial in American English:
US [vɛˈstɪdʒiəl, -ˈstɪdʒəl]
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- Adjective:
- not fully developed in mature animals
Word Origin
- vestigial (adj.)
- 1850, "like a mere trace of what has been," originally in biology, from vestige + -al (1).
Example
- 1. An ostrich has vestigial wings .
- 2. Its hand showed a vestigial first finger and robust second and third fingers .
- 3. In fact , the vestigial atmosphere is still slowly dissipating into space .
- 4. In their view , tyrannosaurusarms were vestigial organs , like the blind eyes of cave-dwelling fish .
- 5. Any of several chiefly tropical constrictors with vestigial hind limbs .