osculant

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: os=cu=lant

CIDE DICTIONARY

osculant, a. [L. osculans, -antis, p. pr. of osculari to kiss. See Osculate.].

•  Kissing; hence, meeting; clinging.  [1913 Webster]
•  Adhering closely; embracing; -- applied to certain creeping animals, as caterpillars.  [1913 Webster]
•  Intermediate in character, or on the border, between two genera, groups, families, etc., of animals or plants, and partaking somewhat of the characters of each, thus forming a connecting link; interosculant; as, the genera by which two families approximate are called osculant genera.  [1913 Webster]