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- Dictionaryvestigial/vɛˈstɪdʒɪəl/
adjective
- 1. forming a very small remnant of something that was once greater or more noticeable: "he felt a vestigial flicker of anger from last night" Similar
- 2. (of an organ or part of the body) degenerate, rudimentary, or atrophied, having become functionless in the course of evolution: "the vestigial wings of kiwis are entirely hidden" Similar Opposite
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The meaning of VESTIGIAL is remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function : being or having the form of a vestige. How to use vestigial in a sentence.
VESTIGIAL definition: 1. being a small remaining part or amount 2. used to describe something, especially a part of the…. Learn more.
VESTIGIAL meaning: 1. being a small remaining part or amount 2. used to describe something, especially a part of the…. Learn more.
Vestigial describes an organ or body part that continues to exist without retaining its original function, such as our appendix. The adjective vestigial derives from the Latin word vestigium, meaning "footprint, trace."
Vestigial is used in science to describe structures like animal organs, tissues, or bones that may have been used by an ancestor but aren’t anymore. For example, snakes have vestigial structures where limbs would have been when they walked on four legs.
1. of, relating to, or being a vestige. 2. (Biology) (of certain organs or parts of organisms) having attained a simple structure and reduced size and function during the evolution of the species: the vestigial pelvic girdle of a snake. vesˈtigially adv.
Vestigial is used to describe the small amounts of something that still remain of a larger or more important thing.
/veˈstɪdʒiəl/ [usually before noun] (formal or specialist) that remain as the last small part of something that used to exist. vestigial traces of an earlier culture. It is often possible to see the vestigial remains of rear limbs on some snakes. Definitions on the go.
vestigial. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ves‧ti‧gi‧al /veˈstɪdʒiəl, -dʒəl/ adjective 1 technical a vestigial part of the body has never developed completely or has almost disappeared The legs of snakes are vestigial or absent altogether. 2 formal remaining as a sign that something existed after most of it has gone ...
VESTIGIAL meaning: 1 : remaining in a form that is not fully developed or able to function; 2 : remaining as the last small part of something that existed before.
