scalelike

1 7.4

Having small flat parts that cover a fish or insect body

adjective
/ˈskeɪlˌlaɪk/

Specialized

: 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

2 4.9

scalelike

Specialized

1 7.4

scaleless

1 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.