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# coelacanth

noun (a coelacanth, coelacanths)

«coelacanth» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A coelacanth is a large, rare, deep-sea fish with thick fleshy fins, a very old kind of fish once thought to have died out with the dinosaurs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#m1)
2. It is often called a «living fossil» because it looks much like its fossil relatives from millions of years ago. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on fossils, extinction and evolution, the coelacanth is famous because scientists knew it only from fossils until a fisherman caught a living one off South Africa. Its leg-like fins help show how fish are related to land animals. Phrases: «living fossil», «the coelacanth was rediscovered».

### Examples

- The coelacanth was thought to be extinct for millions of years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x1)
- A fisherman caught a living coelacanth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x2)
- Scientists call the coelacanth a living fossil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x3)
- Coelacanths live in deep, dark water near caves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x4)
- Its fins move a little like legs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x5)
- We saw a model coelacanth at the natural history museum. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Tricky spelling and sound: written «coelacanth», said SEE-luh-kanth (the «oe» sounds like «ee»). «Living fossil» is a nickname; the fish has still changed over time.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «coelacanth» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/coelacanth/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«coelacanth» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/coelacanth.html) on Mova free.