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sci·ae·nid

(sī-ēnĭd)

Any of various fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, which includes the drums and croakers.

[From New Latin Sciaenidae, family name, from Sciaena, type genus, from Latin sciaena, a kind of sciaenid sea fish (probably Sciaena umbra or Umbrina cirrosa), from Greek skiaina, probably from skiā, shadow (in reference to the dark coloration of both these species).]

sci·aenid adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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