natatorial

[ ney-tuh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-, nat-uh- or ney-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-, nat-uh- ]

/ ˌneɪ təˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌnæt ə- or ˈneɪ təˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr-, ˈnæt ə- /

pertaining to, adapted for, or characterized by swimming: natatorial birds.

Nearby words

First recorded in 1810–20; natat(ion) + -orial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

The natatorial type of the Quadrumana, however, is most assuredly wanting.
The Romance of Natural History, Second Series|Philip Henry Gosse
He was a master of the natatorial art, but he was not amphibious, and soon would have to come to the surface or die.
Footprints in the Forest|Edward Sylvester Ellis
I well remember how proud I felt on the occasion when I first accomplished this natatorial feat.
The Boy Tar|Mayne Reid
Like all birds which belong to the natatorial type, the majority of the species live in the vicinity of water.
Zoological Illustrations, or Original Figures and Descriptions. Volume III, Second Series|William Swainson

After watching Potowski's natatorial gestures, Fairfax had longed to swim out of the elegance into a freer sea.
Fairfax and His Pride|Marie Van Vorst

adj.

1816, from natatory (adj.), from Latin natatorius, from natator "swimmer" (see natatorium) + -al.