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Glite Dictionary
branchiate

branchiate

9.9
Having gills like a fish that let an animal breathe under water
  • adjective
  • /ˈbræŋkiˌeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : branquial
  • Many fish are branchiate, which means they have gills to help them breathe underwater.

Examples

  • Certain aquatic insects remain branchiate throughout their life cycles.

  • The branchiate larval stage allows amphibians to survive in aquatic environments.

  • The fossil shows evidence of a branchiate structure, suggesting it lived underwater.

  • The branchiate fish thrive in aquatic environments.

  • Many branchiate species can be found in coral reefs.

  • Insects like the mosquito can be branchiate, allowing them to live in water during their early stages.

  • A branchiate organism relies on gills to obtain oxygen from water, unlike those that breathe air.

Synonyms

gilled
vsbranchiate
  • Specialized
4.9

Having thin plates underneath, as in fish for breathing or mushrooms for making spores

stresses a general animal trait rather than specific underwater breathing

Antonyms

abranchiate
  • Specialized
9.9

An animal that has no gills and breathes air

Surface Forms

branchiate positive

Morphology

branchiate = branchia (semi-transparent) = branchi + ate

Formed from the combining form 'branchi-' (gills) plus the adjectival/participial suffix '-ate'; the structure is regular but the combining form is technical and unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

The word branchiate comes from the Greek root branchia, meaning 'gills'. So a branchiate animal is one that has gills and breathes in water like a fish.