The meaning of VESTIGIAL is remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function : being or having the form of a vestige. How to use vestigial in a sentence.

Examples of vestigial structures (also called degenerate, atrophied, or rudimentary organs) are the loss of functional wings in island-dwelling birds; the human vomeronasal organ; and the …

Of little or less importance (Definition of vestigial from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Vestigial is used to describe the small amounts of something that still remain of a larger or more important thing.

(Biology) (of certain organs or parts of organisms) having attained a simple structure and reduced size and function during the evolution of the species: the vestigial pelvic girdle of a snake.

Dec 24, 2025 · Noun vestigial (plural vestigials) (evolutionary theory) A small, degenerate, or imperfectly developed part or organ which has been more fully developed in some past …

Vestigial is an adjective form of the noun vestige, meaning something left over from a previous version. Vestigial is used in science to describe structures like animal organs, tissues, or …

VESTIGIAL meaning: 1 : remaining in a form that is not fully developed or able to function; 2 : remaining as the last small part of something that existed before

vestigial, adj. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

Aug 21, 2025 · At its core, "vestigial" is an adjective used to describe something that has lost its original function or purpose over time but still exists in some form. Think of it like a remnant or …