bichir

English

Ornate bichir (Polypterus ornatipinnis)

Etymology

From the species epithet of Polypterus bichir taken over in 1802/1803, the years of its collection and description, after Arabic بَشِير (bašīr).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɪˈʃiːɹ/, /biˈʃiːɹ/, /ˈbiːʃɚ/, /ˈbɪʃɚ/, /ˈbɪtʃɚ/, /ˈbaɪkɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪtʃə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtʃə(ɹ)
• Homophones: bitcher, biker

Noun

bichir (plural bichirs)

1. Any ray-finned fish of the genus Polypterus in the family Polypteridae, having elongated bodies covered in thick, bone-like, ganoid scales.

Hypernyms

• polypterid
• cladistian

Hyponyms

• saddled bichir

Translations

fish

• Arabic: بَشِير m (bašīr), أَبُو بَشِير m (ʔabū bašīr)
• Greek: βιχήρ ο πολύπτερος m (vichír o polýpteros)