altricial
[ al-trish-uhl ]
/ ælˈtrɪʃ əl /
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adjective Zoology.(of an animal species)
helpless at birth or hatching and requiring parental care for a period of time (opposed to precocial.)
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Words nearby altricial
Alton Towers, Altoona, alto-relievo, altostratus, altrices, altricial, alt-right, Altrincham, alt-rock, altruism, altruist
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for altricial
Note the helpless altricial young of the robin; the independent precocial young of the quail.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition|Vernon L. Kellogg
British Dictionary definitions for altricial
altricial
/ (ælˈtrɪʃəl) /
adjective
(of the young of some species of birds after hatching) naked, blind, and dependent on the parents for food
noun
an altricial bird, such as a pigeon
Compare precocial
Word Origin for altricial
C19: from New Latin altriciālis, from Latin altrix a nurse, from alere to nourish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for altricial
altricial
[ ăl-trĭsh′əl ]
Born or hatched in a helpless condition requiring prolonged parental care, as by being naked, blind, or unable to move about. Nesting birds, monotremes, marsupials, and carnivores have altricial young. Compare precocial.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.