branchial cleft: Meaning and Definition of

bran'chial cleft'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. one of a series of slitlike openings in the walls of the pharynx between the branchial arches of fishes and aquatic amphibians through which water passes from the pharynx to the exterior. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.