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polydactyly

American  
[pol-ee-dak-tuh-lee] / ˌpɒl iˈdæk tə li /
Or polydactylism

noun

Pathology.
  1. the condition of being polydactyl.


Etymology

Origin of polydactyly

First recorded in 1885–90; polydactyl + -y 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 2-year-old had surgery for the condition, called preaxial polydactyly or bifid thumb, at Shriners Children’s Chicago hospital this year.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2023

Boston Children’s Hospital cites the odds of polydactyly, a condition in which a baby is born with one or more extra fingers, as between 1 in 500 and 1 in 1,000 in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2023

Another trait for Bardet-Biedl syndrome is polydactyly, or extra digits.

From Washington Post • Jun. 28, 2022

Pitcher Antonio Alfonseca’s hereditary polydactyly gave him six fingers per hand.

From Scientific American • Jun. 4, 2012

Hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, and polydactyly, the presence of extra fingers or toes, also result from faulty genes.

From Time Magazine Archive

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