Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A prolongation backward of the spinal column, especially of the last vertebra, in certain fishes and amphibians: in some Amphibia forming the greater part of the so-called sacrum, or a long bone in the axis of the spinal column behind the sacrum proper, and approximately coextensive with the length of the ilia.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Anat.) A styliform process forming the posterior extremity of the vertebral column in some fishes and amphibians.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun anatomy A
styliform process forming theposterior extremity of thevertebral column in somefishes andamphibians .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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A urostyle (indicated by the arrow) is formed from the fusion of pelvic vertebrae and it makes a really cool-looking tri-branched shape with the frog's simplified pelvis:
Update frankwu 2008
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As the tadpole approaches the frog stage the vertebral column in the tail is rapidly absorbed, and its vestiges appear in the adult as the urostyle.
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Posteriorly the vertebral column terminates in the urostyle, a calcified unsegmented rod.
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