Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Malacopterygii \Mal`a*cop`te*ryg"i*i\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ?
   soft + ? wing, fin, fr. ? feather.] (Zo["o]l.)
   An order of fishes in which the fin rays, except the anterior
   ray of the pectoral and dorsal fins, are closely jointed, and
   not spiny. It includes the carp, pike, salmon, shad, etc.
   Called also {Malacopteri}.