pentadactyl

American  

[pen-tuh-dak-tl, -til] / ˌpɛn təˈdæk tl, -tɪl /

adjective

1. having five digits on each hand or foot.

2. having five fingerlike projections or parts.

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pentadactyl British  

/ ˌpɛntəˈdæktɪl /

adjective

1. (of the limbs of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) consisting of an upper arm or thigh, a forearm or shank, and a hand or foot bearing five digits

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Other Word Forms

• pentadactylism noun

Etymology

Origin of pentadactyl

1655–65; < Latin pentadactylus < Greek pentadáktylos. See penta-, -dactyl

Example Sentences

And structures such as the pentadactyl limb still follow an ancient body plan that ensures that no living vertebrate has more than five digits.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2014

In the former the axis of the foot remained in the middle of the third digit, as in the pentadactyl foot.

From Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3) An Exposition of the Darwinian Theory and a Discussion of Post-Darwinian Questions by Romanes, George John

The plantigrade pentadactyl foot of the primitive Ungulate—and even the perissodactyl foot that succeeded it—both belong to the past humid period of the world’s history.

From Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3) An Exposition of the Darwinian Theory and a Discussion of Post-Darwinian Questions by Romanes, George John