Labyrinthodontia

plural noun

Lab·​y·​rin·​tho·​don·​tia

-änch(ē)ə

1

: a superorder of Amphibia comprising extinct amphibians of the Devonian, Upper Paleozoic, and Triassic that are extremely variable in form and size but typically resemble rather heavy-bodied salamanders or crocodiles, that have the centra of the vertebrae ossified from blocks or arches of cartilage, a completely roofed bony skull, and usually labyrinthine teeth, that are known chiefly from fragmentary remains, and that are considered to be the earliest true tetrapods and in some respects to bridge the gap between the crossopterygians and the most primitive reptiles

2

in some classifications : a subdivision of Stegocephalia that comprises forms with labyrinthine teeth and is nearly equivalent to Temnospondyli

labyrinthodontid

¦⸗⸗ˌ⸗⸗¦däntə̇d

adjective or noun

labyrinthodontoid

-änˌtȯid

adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek labyrinthos labyrinth + New Latin -odontia

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