digitigrade

American  

[dij-i-ti-greyd] / ˈdɪdʒ ɪ tɪˌgreɪd /

adjective

1. walking on the toes, as most quadruped mammals.

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noun

1. a digitigrade animal.

digitigrade British  

/ ˈdɪdʒɪtɪˌɡreɪd /

adjective

1. (of dogs, cats, horses, etc) walking so that only the toes touch the ground

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noun

1. a digitigrade animal

Etymology

Origin of digitigrade

From French, dating back to 1825–35; see origin at digiti-, -grade

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

digitigrade

Bears, furthermore, have five digits on each foot and are plantigrade, while dogs have but four toes behind and are digitigrade.

From American Big Game in Its Haunts by Various

It was formerly classed with the racoons, which it superficially resembles; and, as Jerdon remarks, it may be considered as a sort of link between the plantigrade and digitigrade carnivora.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Robert Armitage Sterndale

For the majority of mammals are what has been called digitigrade.

From Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3) An Exposition of the Darwinian Theory and a Discussion of Post-Darwinian Questions by George John Romanes

Sem′i-pellū′cid, imperfectly transparent; Sem′ipen′niform, half-penniform; Sem′i-per′fect, nearly perfect; Sem′i-pis′cine, half-fish; Sem′i-plant′igrade, incompletely plantigrade: partly digitigrade; Sem′i-plas′tic, imperfectly plastic.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

But the digitigrade modification necessitated a change of structural plan, to the extent of raising the wrist and ankle joints off the ground, so as to make the quadruped walk on its fingers and toes.

From Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3) An Exposition of the Darwinian Theory and a Discussion of Post-Darwinian Questions by George John Romanes