ungulate

American  

[uhng-gyuh-lit, -leyt] / ˈʌŋ gyə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

adjective

1. having hoofs.

2. belonging or pertaining to the Ungulata, a former order of all hoofed mammals, now divided into the odd-toed perissodactyls and even-toed artiodactyls.

3. hooflike.

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noun

1. a hoofed mammal.

ungulate British  

/ -ˌleɪt, ˈʌŋɡjʊlɪt /

noun

1. any of a large group of mammals all of which have hooves: divided into odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) and even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls) See perissodactyl artiodactyl

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ungulate Scientific  

/ ŭng′gyə-lĭt /

1. A hoofed mammal. Ungulates belong to two orders, Artiodactyla (those having an even number of toes) and Perissodactyla (those having an odd number of toes).

2. See more at artiodactyl perissodactyl

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Other Word Forms

• interungulate adjective

Etymology

Origin of ungulate

First recorded in 1795–1805, ungulate is from the Late Latin word ungulātus having claws or hoofs. See ungula, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

We hear “the strangled ungulate blurt” of a distressed elk, “the ruminant crunch” of a grazing sheep.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

That, when combined with climate change, makes the goats especially vulnerable, said William Moore, ungulate specialist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

The Corridor Mapping Team, established in 2018 in response to Department of the Interior Secretary's Order 3362, is a state-Tribal-federal partnership working to map ungulate migration corridors with standard techniques.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024

But one ungulate remains unaddressed on the island—the bison.

From National Geographic • Jan. 18, 2024

What the angry letter writers didn't know, however, was that the ungulate McCandless shot was exactly what he’d said it was.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer