Malacopterygii

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A group of teleost fishes, variously limited; the soft-finned or jointed-fin fishes. In Cuvier's system of classification, the second division of bony fishes, having soft fin-rays: divided into Abdominales, Subbrachiati, and Apodes.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) An order of fishes in which the fin rays, except the anterior ray of the pectoral and dorsal fins, are closely jointed, and not spiny. It includes the carp, pike, salmon, shad, etc. Called also Malacopteri.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an extensive group of teleost fishes having fins supported by flexible cartilaginous rays