Malacopterygii

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A group of teleost fishes, variously limited; the soft-finned or jointed-fin fishes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• proper noun plural (Zoöl.) 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.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun an extensive group of teleost fishes having fins supported by flexible cartilaginous rays