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Glite Dictionary
Pristis pectinatus

Pristis pectinatus

9.9
A large fish with a long toothed snout that lives in warm coastal bays and estuaries
  • noun
  • Specialized
: pez sierra de dientes pequeños
  • Local fishermen recognize the distinctive toothed snout of the Pristis pectinatus.

Examples

  • Researchers tagged several Pristis pectinatus to study their movement in coastal waters.

  • The Pristis pectinatus is now endangered due to habitat loss and overfishing.

  • The Pristis pectinatus is often found in shallow waters.

  • Have you ever seen a Pristis pectinatus up close?

  • Local fishermen recognize the distinctive toothed snout of the Pristis pectinatus.

  • Researchers tagged several Pristis pectinatus to study their movement in coastal waters.

  • The Pristis pectinatus is now endangered due to habitat loss and overfishing.

Synonyms

smalltooth sawfish
vsPristis pectinatus
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A large tropical fish with a long flat snout lined with small teeth found in shallow bays and river mouths

refers to a distinct species rather than the other named species

Surface Forms

Pristis pectinatus singular
Pristis pectinatuses plural

Morphology

Pristis + pectinatus

This is a scientific Latin binomial functioning as a proper name rather than a compositional English phrase; knowing 'Pristis' as a fish genus does not allow a B1 learner to derive the full species meaning (habitat, behavior) and 'pectinatus' is not an ordinary English word. Taxonomic names are language-specific conventions and hence the overall meaning is not predictable from the constituents for an average learner.

Etymology

Pristis pectinatus comes from old words: Pristis means 'saw' and pectinatus means 'comb' or 'toothed'. The fish has a long snout with teeth like a saw, so the name describes this sawfish.