vestigial structures
nounUK /vɛˈstɪdʒiəl ˈstrʌktʃəz/
US /vɛˈstɪdʒiəl ˈstrʌktʃərz/
Vestigial structures are small body parts that are left over from long ago and no longer do much.
The tiny leg bones inside a whale are vestigial structures.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Body parts that have become much smaller over time because they are no longer needed.
The human appendix is often called a vestigial structure.
3. Traces of something that existed in an earlier form of a living thing.
Scientists study vestigial structures to learn about an animal's ancestors.
4. Structures that once had a useful job but now serve little or no purpose.
Wisdom teeth are vestigial structures in many people.