fossorial

[fo-sawr-ee-uh l, -sohr-]

adjective Zoology.

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

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

Related formssub·fos·so·ri·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fossorial

Historical Examples of fossorial

Fossorial: formed for or with the habit of digging or burrowing.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Evolution within the Dikkomyini resulted in the acquisition and perfection of fossorial adaptations.
Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae
Robert J. Russell
Aard-varks feed on animal substances; and are terrestrial and fossorial in habits.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10
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

British Dictionary definitions for fossorial

fossorial

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