fossorial

[ fo-sawr-ee-uhl, -sohr- ]

/ fɒˈsɔr i əl, -ˈsoʊr- /

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adjective Zoology.

digging or burrowing.

adapted for digging, as the hands, feet, and bone structure of moles, armadillos, and aardvarks.

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Origin of fossorial

1830–40; <Late Latin fossōri(us) adapted to digging (equivalent to Latin fod(ere) to dig + tōrius-tory¹, with dt>ss) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM fossorial

sub·fos·so·ri·al, adjective

Words nearby fossorial

fossil gum, fossiliferous, fossilize, fossil record, fossor, fossorial, fossula, foster, fosterage, foster brother, foster care

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fossorial in a sentence

Among the Vespoid families of fossorial wasps, the Pompilidae are the most important.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 2|Various
The moist soil and litter on the forest floor is an important microhabitat for fossorial and strictly terrestrial species.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman
In the savannas Rhinophrynus dorsalis, Engystomops pustulosus, and Gastrophryne usta are fossorial species.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman
Of these, Syrrhophus pipilans sometimes inhabits low trees and bushes; the others may be fossorial.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman

In the semi-arid scrub forest the same fossorial species as exist in the savannas are found.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman

British Dictionary definitions for fossorial

fossorial

/ (fɒˈsɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

(of the forelimbs and skeleton of burrowing animals) adapted for digging

(of burrowing animals, such as the mole and armadillo) having limbs of this type

Word Origin for fossorial

C19: from Medieval Latin fossōrius from Latin fossor digger, from fodere to dig

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012