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Glite Dictionary
scalelike

scalelike

7.4
Having small flat parts that cover a fish or insect body
  • adjective
  • /ˈskeɪlˌlaɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : escamoso
  • The fish's scalelike skin is both protective and slippery, allowing it to glide through the water.

Examples

  • Cedars and cypresses have needles that are scalelike, resembling tiny, overlapping tiles.

  • They also developed powerful limbs, tipped with scalelike claws, to match the further development of their teeth.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The scalelike leaves of the plant help it retain moisture in dry environments.

Synonyms

squamosal
vsscalelike
  • Specialized
9.9

With small overlapping plates like fish scales

is a broader, general descriptor for resembling small thin flattened plates in plants or animals

How Scaly

scaled
4.9
scalelike
  • Specialized
7.4
scaleless
7.1

Surface Forms

scalelike positive

Morphology

scalelike = scale (transparent) = scale + like

The adjective is formed regularly from the noun 'scale' with the productive adjectival suffix '-like' meaning 'resembling', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Scalelike comes from the common word scale, meaning a thin, flat plate on a fish or reptile, and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. So scalelike literally means 'like a scale' and is used for small, flat structures on plants or animals.