amphioxus

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun small translucent lancet-shaped burrowing marine animal; primitive forerunner of the vertebrates

From Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “both”) + Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen”).

To me as a teacher the intellectual gap between my ablest and my dullest student counts for infinitely more than that between the latter and the amphioxus: indeed, I never thought of the latter chasm till this moment. — The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, William James

lancelet

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