coelacanthine

English

Etymology

From coelacanth +‎ -ine.

Adjective

coelacanthine (comparative more coelacanthine, superlative most coelacanthine)

1. (ichthyology) Pertaining to, or having the properties of, a coelacanth (fish).
2. (figurative) Extremely old-fashioned or atavistic.
   • 1959, Iona Opie, Peter Opie, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren:

     It must always be remembered that although to an adult a particular belief may seem like a coelacanthine survival from the past, to the schoolchild who learns it from his mate the belief is a novelty; it is something just learnt, and often excitingly full of possibility for his immediate welfare.

   • 2013, Justin Kaplan, Lincoln Steffens: Portrait of a Great American Journalist, page 166:

     […] but a few people, like Steffens, found him attractive not simply because he was rich and useful but also because he was an object of study, a coelacanthine oddity in the natural history of commerce.