condylarth

[kon-dl-ahrth]

noun

1. any of the primitive ungulate mammals of the extinct order Condylarthra, from the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, having a slender body, low-crowned teeth, and five-toed feet, each toe ending in a small hoof.

Word History and Origins

Origin of condylarth¹

1880–85; < New Latin Condylarthra (neuter plural) < Greek kóndyl ( os ) condyle + -arthra, neuter plural of arthrus -jointed, derivative of árthron joint

Example Sentences

The oldest fossil of a mammal found in India so far is a 66-million-year-old tooth that may have belonged to a condylarth, primitive ancestors of hoofed mammals, some of which looked like a cross between a lioness and a deer.

From Washington Post

Condylarth fossils have more commonly been found north of India.

From Washington Post