Frenate

/ˈfrenət/ adjective

Definition

In biology, possessing a frenulum (a small anatomical structure or ridge), particularly used to describe lizards with this characteristic head feature.

Etymology

From Latin frenum 'bridle' with the English adjective suffix -ate, meaning 'having' or 'characterized by.' Used in zoological classification to indicate the presence of the frenular ridge.

Kelly Says

This word is zoologists' shorthand for 'has that little ridge on its head'—one tiny anatomical feature was important enough to become a classification word for thousands of different lizard species!

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