| marsupium | ‖n.; pl. marsupia [ L., a pouch ], (Anat. & Zool.) (a) The pouch, formed by a fold of the skin of the abdomen, in which marsupials carry their young; also, a pouch for similar use in other animals, as certain Crustacea. (b) The pecten in the eye of birds and reptiles. See Pecten. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Marsupial | a. [ Cf. F. marsupial. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 1. (Zool.) Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or pertaining to the Marsupialia. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Anat. & Zool.) Of or pertaining to a marsupium; as, the marsupial bones. [ 1913 Webster ]
Marsupial frog. (Zool.) See Nototrema. [ 1913 Webster ]
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| Marsupialia | ‖prop. n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. marsupium a pouch, bag, purse, Gr. marsy`pion, dim. of ma`rsypos, ma`rsipos. ] (Zool.) A subclass of Mammalia, including nearly all the mammals of Australia and the adjacent islands, together with the opossums of America. They differ from ordinary mammals in having the corpus callosum very small, in being implacental, and in having their young born while very immature. The female generally carries the young for some time after birth in an external pouch, or marsupium. Called also Marsupiata. [ 1913 Webster ] |
