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Glite Dictionary
🐟 An ancient fish 🦷 A fossil tooth
conodont

conodont

1 9.9
A small extinct eel-like sea animal known from cone-shaped fossils
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒnəˌdɒnt/
  • Specialized
: conodonte
  • Many conodonts lived during the Cambrian period.

Examples

  • Scientists debated the classification of the mysterious conodont for many years.

  • A well-preserved conodont fossil was recently discovered in the limestone deposits.

  • The fossilized conodont elements provide valuable clues about ancient marine environments.

  • The conodont fossils were discovered in a limestone formation.

  • A well-preserved conodont fossil was recently discovered in the limestone deposits.

  • The fossilized conodont elements provide valuable clues about ancient marine environments.

  • Many conodont fossils have been found in rocks dating back to the Cambrian period.

Synonyms

Conodonta
vsconodont
  • Specialized
9.9

Extinct eel-like animals that scientists find as tiny fossil teeth and use to date rocks

focuses on a single extinct eel-like animal and its ancestor role
Conodontophorida
vsconodont
  • Specialized
9.9

Extinct small jawless sea animals known from tiny tooth-like fossils

refers to the specific eel-like animal rather than a formal order

Surface Forms

conodont singular
conodonts plural

Morphology

conodont = cono + odont

Formed from Greek combining elements ('cono-' = cone, 'odont-' = tooth) that are not productive standalone English words, so a typical B1 learner cannot derive the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Conodont comes from the Greek words konē 'cone' and odont 'tooth'. The animal is known from tiny, cone-shaped, tooth-like fossils, so the name reminds us of those cone teeth.