Meaning & use
digitigrade
Last updated
UK/ˈdɪdʒɪtɪɡreɪd/
US/ˈdɪdʒɪtɪˌɡreɪd/
Meaning
adjectivenot comparablebiology
Describing an animal that walks on its toes, with the heel lifted off the ground.
Grammar: Before a noun: digitigrade legs.
Patterns
- digitigrade legs
Dogs and cats are digitigrade, which helps them run fast.
The digitigrade stance gives a springy step.
Artists often draw fantasy creatures with digitigrade legs.
Common combinations
- digitigrade legs
- Wolves have digitigrade legs.
- digitigrade stance
- A cat's digitigrade stance helps it pounce.
- digitigrade animal
- A digitigrade animal runs on its toes.
- digitigrade walking
- Digitigrade walking saves energy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- toe-walking
- Toe-walking is plainer and, in people, can mean an unusual gait, not a normal body plan.
Opposites
Word family
- digit noun
- a finger or toe
- plantigrade adjective
- walking on the whole sole
- unguligrade adjective
- walking on hooves
Commonly confused: digitigrade or digital?
digitigrade vs digital
Digital relates to numbers or computers, though it shares the Latin root for finger.
Practice
Which animal is digitigrade, walking on its toes rather than the soles of its feet?
Choose one answer.
Dogs walk on their toes. Bears, humans and raccoons are plantigrade, with flat feet.
Make it your own
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