brachiation

[brey-kee-ey-shuhn, brak-ee-]

noun

Zoology.

1. locomotion accomplished by swinging by the arms from one hold to another.

brachiation

1. Movement in which the suspended body swings by the arms from one hold to another, as in gibbons and arboreal primates. Adaptations used in brachiation, such as relatively long arms and a freely rotating shoulder joint, may have contributed to the development of bipedalism in protohumans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brachiation¹

brachiate + -ion

Example Sentences

Even I had never learned to navigate one of these swing-bridges without assistance; human arms are no longer suited to brachiation.

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