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# vestigial

«vestigial» in Mova's school dictionary: **still there but has become small or useless over a very…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (vestigial)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (science) Describing a part of a body that is still there but has become small or useless over a very long time, such as the tiny leg bones inside some snakes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#m1)

2) (formal) Remaining as a small trace or bit of something that used to be bigger or more important. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about evolution, vestigial body parts are clues that living things changed over a long time. Examples often given are the tailbone in humans, the wings of birds that cannot fly (like the ostrich and kiwi), and leg bones in whales. Phrases: "a vestigial organ", "vestigial wings", "a vestigial tail".

### examples

- Ostriches have vestigial wings that cannot lift them into the air. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x1)
- Whales have small vestigial leg bones inside their bodies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x2)
- The human tailbone is often called a vestigial part. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x3)
- The kiwi has tiny vestigial wings hidden under its feathers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x4)
- Scientists study vestigial organs to learn how animals changed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x5)
- Only a vestigial bit of the old castle wall is left. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/#x6)

### note

Adjective, from "vestige" (a small trace that remains). Pronounced vest-IJ-ee-ul. Myth trap: "vestigial" does not always mean completely useless; some vestigial parts, like the human appendix and tailbone, still have small uses. It is a science and formal word.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «vestigial» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vestigial/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.