zygodactyl

[ zahy-guh-dak-til, zig-uh- ]

/ ˌzaɪ gəˈdæk tɪl, ˌzɪg ə- /

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adjective

Also zy·go·dac·ty·lous. (of a bird) having the toes of each foot arranged in pairs, with two toes in front and two behind.

noun

a zygodactyl bird.

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Origin of zygodactyl

First recorded in 1825–35; zygo- + -dactyl

OTHER WORDS FROM zygodactyl

zy·go·dac·tyl·ism, noun

Words nearby zygodactyl

Zworykin, Zyban, zydeco, zygapophysis, zygo-, zygodactyl, zygogenesis, zygoma, zygomatic, zygomatic arch, zygomatic bone

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

British Dictionary definitions for zygodactyl

zygodactyl

/ (ˌzaɪɡəʊˈdæktɪl, ˌzɪɡə-) /

adjective Also: zygodactylous

(of the feet of certain birds) having the first and fourth toes directed backwards and the second and third forwards

noun

a zygodactyl birdCompare heterodactyl

Derived forms of zygodactyl

zygodactylism, noun

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