rasorial

[ ruh-sawr-ee-uh l, -sohr- ]

/ rəˈsɔr i əl, -ˈsoʊr- /

adjective

given to scratching the ground for food, as chickens; gallinaceous.

pertaining to a bird's foot adapted for scratching.

Nearby words

raskolnik, rasmalai, rasmussen, rason, rasophore, rasorial, rasp, raspatory, raspberry, raspberry sawfly, rasper

Origin of rasorial

1830–40; < New Latin Rasor(es) former name of the order, Late Latin rāsorēs, plural of rāsor scratcher (Latin rād(ere) to scrape, scratch + -tor -tor, with dt > s; cf. raze) + -ial

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

Examples from the Web for rasorial

For want of a better term, we must call this the Rasorial type, as it corresponds to that Ornithological group.
Zoological Illustrations, or Original Figures and Descriptions. Volume III, Second Series|William Swainson
Two pigeons and four species of quail are all the rasorial birds in the island; the true gallinaceous birds being wholly wanting.
The History of Tasmania, Volume I (of 2)|John West
There is the same need for a substitute for rasorial, which is only applicable to birds.
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation|Robert Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for rasorial

rasorial

/ (rəˈsɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

(of birds such as domestic poultry) adapted for scratching the ground for food

Word Origin for rasorial

C19: from New Latin Rasores such birds, from Latin rādere to scrape

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