plantigrade

[ plan-ti-greyd ]

/ ˈplæn tɪˌgreɪd /

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adjective

walking on the whole sole of the foot, as humans and bears.

noun

a plantigrade animal.

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Origin of plantigrade

First recorded in 1825–35; from French plantigrade (noun), from New Latin plantigradus, equivalent to Latin plant(a) “sole of the foot” + -i- + -gradus; see -i-, -grade

OTHER WORDS FROM plantigrade

sub·plan·ti·grade, adjective

Words nearby plantigrade

planter, planter's punch, plant food, planthopper, plant hormone, plantigrade, Plantin, plant kingdom, plantlet, plant louse, plantocracy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use plantigrade in a sentence

In considering this question, the first fact to appear is that the apes and lemurs are plantigrade animals.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
It is a plantigrade circumflex vertebrate bacterium that hasnt any wings and is uncertain.
A Horse's Tale|Mark Twain
Plantigrade circumflex vertebrate bacterium that hasnt any wings and is uncertain.
A Horse's Tale|Mark Twain
Its legs are short in proportion, and as it is plantigrade in the hind-feet, it stands and runs low, and cat-like.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid

Her unstable bust was stayed and upheld by French corsets; her plantigrade shuffle was limited by heeled boots.
Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Stories|Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for plantigrade

plantigrade

/ (ˈplæntɪˌɡreɪd) /

adjective

walking with the entire sole of the foot touching the ground, as, for example, man and bears

noun

a plantigrade animal

Word Origin for plantigrade

C19: via French from New Latin plantigradus, from Latin planta sole of the foot + gradus a step

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

Medical definitions for plantigrade

plantigrade

[ plăn′tĭ-grād′ ]

adj.

Walking with the entire sole on the ground, as humans do.

Scientific definitions for plantigrade

plantigrade

[ plăn′tĭ-grād′ ]

Walking with the entire sole of the foot on the ground, as humans, bears, raccoons, and rabbits.