tardigrade

[ tahr-di-greyd ]

/ ˈtɑr dɪˌgreɪd /

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noun

Also called bear animalcule, water bear. any microscopic, chiefly herbivorous invertebrate of the phylum Tardigrada, living in water, on mosses, lichens, etc.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the phylum Tardigrada.

slow in pace or movement.

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Origin of tardigrade

First recorded in 1615–25, tardigrade is from the Latin word tardigradus slow-paced. See tardy, -grade

Words nearby tardigrade

tar boy, tarbrush, Tarde, Tardenoisian, Tardieu, tardigrade, tardiness, tardive, tardive dyskinesia, tardo, tardy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tardigrade in a sentence

Likewise, space rocks flying around the solar system usually smash into planets and moons at thousands of meters per second — far too fast for tardigrades to survive.
Even hard-to-kill tardigrades can’t always survive being shot out of a gun|Maria Temming|June 2, 2021|Science News
Smashing into sand faster than about 825 meters per second, or about one gigapascal of shock pressure, proved lethal for the tardigrades.
Even hard-to-kill tardigrades can’t always survive being shot out of a gun|Maria Temming|June 2, 2021|Science News
These results suggest the Beresheet tardigrades probably didn’t survive their lunar landing, Traspas Muiña says.
Even hard-to-kill tardigrades can’t always survive being shot out of a gun|Maria Temming|June 2, 2021|Science News
The findings hint that even intrepid little animals like tardigrades would struggle to survive crash-landing on a new planet.
Even hard-to-kill tardigrades can’t always survive being shot out of a gun|Maria Temming|June 2, 2021|Science News

The machine launched tardigrades at different speeds, ranging from about 550 to 1,000 meters per second, into bags of sand meant to mimic the lunar surface.
Even hard-to-kill tardigrades can’t always survive being shot out of a gun|Maria Temming|June 2, 2021|Science News

British Dictionary definitions for tardigrade

tardigrade

/ (ˈtɑːdɪˌɡreɪd) /

noun

any minute aquatic segmented eight-legged invertebrate of the phylum Tardigrada, related to the arthropods, occurring in soil, ditches, etcPopular name: water bear

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Tardigrada

Word Origin for tardigrade

C17: via Latin tardigradus, from tardus sluggish + gradī to walk

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

Scientific definitions for tardigrade

tardigrade

[ tär′dĭ-grād′ ]

Any of various slow-moving, minute invertebrates of the phylum Tardigrada. Tardigrades have a head and four fused body segments, each of which has a pair of stubby legs ending in claws. They live in water, damp moss, flower petals, or sand, and are usually 1 mm (0.04 inches) or less in size. Tardigrades are able to resist extremely low temperature, pressure, and humidity, and go into dormant states for months or years. They are believed to be intermediate in evolutionary development between annelids and arthropods. Also called water bear