Dictionary

scaleless en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈskeɪl.ləs/ (UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *skend-der. Proto-Indo-European *(s)kn̥d-sleh₂ Proto-Italic *skand-slā Latin scālabor. Middle English scale English scale Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English scaleless From scale + -less.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Lacking anything to give a sense of scale; not having a reference for size.
2. (not-comparable) Of a surface: free from deposits of scale.
3. (not-comparable) Not having scales.
   • There are also some surprises such as Eurotamandua, a scaleless pangolin that looks astonishingly like a South American anteater. 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 65:
4. (not-comparable) Without using a set of scales.
   • scaleless dieting

Antonyms

squamulose · scaly

Deriveds

scalelessness · scaleless dragonfish

Synonyms

esquamulose

Translations (3)

de ungeschuppt ((botany, zoology) not having scales) · de schuppenlos ((botany, zoology) not having scales) · pl bezłuski ((botany, zoology) not having scales)