Synapsid Definition

sĭ-năpsĭd
noun
Any of a group of amniote vertebrates that first emerged in the late Permian Period, characterized by a single opening in the temporal region on each side of the skull and including the mammals along with various extinct groups more closely related to mammals than to other amniotes.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
  • synapsid reptile

Other Word Forms of Synapsid

Noun

Singular:
synapsid
Plural:
synapsids

Origin of Synapsid

  • New Latin Synapsida taxon name syn- Greek hapsis hapsid- arch (from the former belief that the single temporal opening on each side of the synapsid skull evolved by the fusion of the two temporal openings on each side of the diapsid skull) apsis

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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