plantigrade

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an animal that walks with the entire sole of the foot touching the ground as e.g. bears and human beings
  2. adjective (of mammals) walking on the whole sole of the foot (as rabbits, raccoons, bears, and humans do)

Etymology

From French plantigrade, from Latin planta (“sole of the foot”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pléh₂-n̥t-eh₂, from *pleh₂- (“flat”)) + -grade, from Latin gradus (“pace, step”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

plantigrade mammal

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