Meaning & use
gill arches
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Meaning
nounpluraltechnicalbiology
Curved bony or cartilaginous supports in the throat area of fish and some other animals that hold the gills.
Grammar: Always used in the plural when referring to the set; the singular 'gill arch' refers to one of them.
Patterns
- the gill arches of a fish
- develop from gill arches
In fish, the gill arches support the gills and help with breathing.
The scientist studied the gill arches of the shark to understand its feeding.
During evolution, the gill arches of early vertebrates gave rise to parts of the jaw and ear.
Word forms
| singular | gill arch |
|---|
Common combinations
- first gill arch
- The first gill arch is important for jaw development.
- gill arch skeleton
- The gill arch skeleton is made of cartilage in sharks.
- develop from gill arches
- The human ear bones develop from gill arches.
Synonyms and how they differ
- branchial arches
- Branchial arches is a more technical term used especially in embryology, while gill arches is more common in fish anatomy.
Word family
Commonly confused: gill arches or gill slits?
gill arches vs gill slits
Gill slits are the openings behind the gill arches; the arches are the supporting structures, not the openings.
Practice
What do gill arches do in fish?
Choose one answer.
Gill arches are the bony or cartilaginous supports that hold the gills. They do not filter food, help swimming, or produce eggs; those are different structures.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gill arches”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.