lyencephalous, a. Zool.
(laɪɪnˈsɛfələs)
[f. mod.L. Lyencephal-a (Owen) + -ous.
According to Owen himself (Classif. Mammalia, 1859), his term Lyencephala is f. Gr. λύ-ειν to loose + ἐγκέϕαλος brain (see encephalon), and signifies ‘the comparatively loose or disconnected state of the cerebral hemispheres’.]
Of or belonging to the Lyencephala, in Owen's classification the lowest group of Mammals, including the Monotremes and the Marsupials.
| 1859 Owen Classif. Mammalia 27 The Lyencephalous Mammalia. 1864 in Webster. And in later Dicts. |