† monocercousadj.
Origin: A borrowing from Greek, combined with English elements. Etymons: mono- comb. form, Greek κέρκος , -ous suffix.
Etymology: < mono- comb. form + ancient Greek κέρκος tail (see cercus n.) + -ous suffix. Compare slightly earlier monoflagellate adj.
Biology.
Obsolete.
rare. Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.
1890 Monocercous, having only one ‘tail’, or flagellum; uniflagellate, as an infusorian.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2021).