of, relating to, or belonging to the Selachii (or Elasmobranchii), a large subclass of cartilaginous fishes including the sharks, rays, dogfish, and skates
noun
2.
any fish belonging to the subclass Selachii
Also: elasmobranch
Word origin
C19: from New Latin Selachiī, from Greek selakhē a shark; related to Greek selas brightness
selachian in American English
(sɪˈleɪkiən)
noun
1.
any shark or ray
adjective
2.
of the selachians
Word origin
< ModL Selachii (< Gr selachos, cartilaginous fish, akin to selas, light, gleam: from its phosphorescent appearance: see Selene) + -an