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.

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a granular metamorphic rock.
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a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
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Origin of dactylus

New Latin < Greek; see dactyl

Words nearby dactylus

dactylogram, dactylography, dactylology, dactylomegaly, dactyloscopy, dactylus, dad, dad and dave, dad bod, dad joke, dad rock
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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