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insessorial

[in-suh-sawr-ee-uh l, -sohr-]
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adjective
  1. adapted for perching, as a bird's foot.
  2. habitually perching, as a bird.
  3. of or relating to birds that perch.
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Origin of insessorial

1830–40; < New Latin Insessor(es) the perching birds (Latin: perchers, equivalent to insed-, variant stem of insīdere to settle on (in- in-2 + sīdere to sit down) + -tōrēs, plural of -tor -tor) + -ial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for insessorial

Historical Examples

  • Alau′da, a genus of insessorial birds, which includes the larks.

    The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1

    Various

  • His physical construction closely resembles that of his insessorial brethren, most of whom go when he comes.

British Dictionary definitions for insessorial

insessorial

adjective
  1. (of feet or claws) adapted for perching
  2. (of birds) having insessorial feet
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Word Origin

C19: from New Latin Insessōrēs birds that perch, from Latin: perchers, from insidēre to sit upon, from sedēre to sit
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