saltatorial

[sal-tuh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-]

adjective

1. pertaining to saltation.

2. Zoology.,  characterized by or adapted for leaping.

saltatorial

/ ˌsæltəˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈsæltəˌtɔːrɪ /

adjective

1. biology specialized for or characterized by jumping

   the saltatorial legs of a grasshopper

2. of or relating to saltation

Other Word Forms

• unsaltatorial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of saltatorial¹

First recorded in 1780–90; saltatory + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of saltatorial¹

C17 saltatory, from Latin saltātōrius concerning dancing, from saltātor a dancer; see _saltant

Example Sentences

The name “Salto” actually comes from the word “saltatorial,” which is used by biologists to describe animals that have adapted for leaping.

Read more on The Verge

Kangaroos, grasshoppers, and rabbits are some of the more common saltatorial creatures you may have heard of, but Salto falls into that category too.

Read more on The Verge

To design Salto, short for "saltatorial locomotion on terrain obstacles," the University of California, Berkeley, researchers sought inspiration from one of the animal kingdom's best leapers.

Read more on Reuters

The robot the team designed is named Salto—a play on saltatorial locomotion, a fancy name for two-legged jumping movement, and the famous sled dog Balto, because the researchers hope agile bots like this can assist in search-and-rescue missions someday.

Read more on Science Magazine

Digital reduction and elongate, often fused, distal limb segments are in keeping with often saltatorial habits: sengis are speedy runners, but also adept at leaping when avoiding obstacles and predators.

Read more on Scientific American