tardigrade

American  

[tahr-di-greyd] / ˈtɑr dɪˌgreɪd /

noun

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

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the phylum Tardigrada.

2. slow in pace or movement.

tardigrade British  

/ ˈtɑːdɪˌɡreɪd /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Tardigrada

tardigrade Scientific  

/ tär′dĭ-grād′ /

1. 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.

2. Also called water bear

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Etymology

Origin of tardigrade

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

Example Sentences

In another study, one species of tardigrade revived after 20 years as a dried-out little ball.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2025

This makes the tardigrade proteins potential candidates in technologies centered on slowing the aging process and in long-term storage of human cells.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2024

At the time the video was recorded, the Trump and American flags flanked the silhouette of the tardigrade with the words, “Live Tiny, Die Never” and a series of initials.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2023

Kunieda and his collaborators manipulated cultured human cells by inserting tardigrade DNA into them and found they had had a 40 percent greater capacity to withstand x-ray damage than do ordinary human cells.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2018

Off his horse his motions are awkward, like those of certain tardigrade mammals of arboreal habits when removed from their tree.

From The Naturalist in La Plata by Hudson, W. H. (William Henry)