Definitions For Osculant

Adjective

(not comparable) kiss, kissing; hence, touching or meeting; clinging. (zoology) adhere, adhering closely; applied to certain creeping animals, such as caterpillars. (biology) intermediate, intermediate between two genus, genera, groups, family, families, etc., and having some of the characteristics of each; interosculant. : The genera by which two families approximate are called osculant genera. (Bantu, _, linguistics) intermediate, intermediate between multiple potentially reconstructible protoforms, but having a mismatch in semantics or morphology that cannot be explained through regular patterns of change.

Related terms

osculance

Etymology

From {{der, en, la, osculans}}, osculantis, present participle of osculari, , to kiss. See osculate.

Anagrams

Lacounts, consulta