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definitions

dactylus

[ dak-tuh-luh s ]
/ ˈdæk tə ləs /
|

noun, plural dac·ty·li [dak-tuh-lahy, -lee] /ˈdæk təˌlaɪ, -ˌli/.

an enlarged portion of the leg after the first joint in some insects, as the pollen-carrying segment in the hind leg of certain bees.

Nearby words

  1. dactylogram,
  2. dactylography,
  3. dactylology,
  4. dactylomegaly,
  5. dactyloscopy,
  6. dad,
  7. dad and dave,
  8. dad bod,
  9. dad joke,
  10. dad rock

Origin of dactylus

New Latin < Greek; see dactyl
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dactylus

  • Pholas dactylus having hollowed out a shelter in a block of gneiss.

    The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

  • It has the shape of a date, or of a finger; whence its name of Dactylus, which in Greek signifies a finger.

    The Phantom World|Augustin Calmet