brachiate

American  

[brey-kee-it, -eyt, brak-ee-, brey-kee-eyt, brak-ee-] / ˈbreɪ ki ɪt, -ˌeɪt, ˈbræk i-, ˈbreɪ kiˌeɪt, ˈbræk i- /

adjective

1. Botany. having widely spreading branches in alternate pairs.

2. Zoology. having arms.

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verb (used without object)

brachiated, brachiating

1. to progress by means of brachiation.

brachiate British  

adjective

1. botany having widely divergent paired branches

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verb

1. (intr) (of some arboreal apes and monkeys) to swing by the arms from one hold to the next

Other Word Forms

• brachiation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of brachiate

First recorded in 1825–35, brachiate is from the Latin word brāchiātus with branches like arms. See brachi-, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brachiating

The dam marks the beginning of the final and most complex stage of the transformation of the Colorado River from a natural stream into a dispersed and brachiating resource-distribution system.

From The New Yorker ● May 18, 2015

Thick-furred, with a red face, the monkey moves by sprawling out and brachiating from branch to branch through the high forest canopy; its long, prehensile tail functions as an arm.

From Time Magazine Archive