- fossorial
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adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin fossorius used for digging, from Latin fossor digger, from fodere
Date: 1837
adapted to digging <a fossorial foot>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
fossorial
Look at other dictionaries:
Fossorial — Fos*so ri*al, a. [L. fossor a digger.] Fitted for digging, adapted for burrowing or digging; as, a fossorial foot; a fossorial animal. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fossorial — [fä sôr′ē əl] adj. [< LL fossorius < L fossor, digger < fossus (see FOSSIL) + AL] digging or adapted for digging; burrowing [fossorial claws] … English World dictionary
Fossorial — A fossorial is an organism adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae. It is most commonly used as an adjective to describe the habit of living underground, even if the… … Wikipedia
fossorial — fos•so•ri•al [[t]fɒˈsɔr i əl, ˈsoʊr [/t]] adj. zool. burrowing or adapted for burrowing: fossorial mammals; fossorial paws[/ex] • Etymology: 1830–40; < LL fossōri(us) adapted to digging (L fod(ere) to dig +tōrius tory I) + al I … From formal English to slang
fossorial — adjective Of, pertaining to, or adapted for digging or burrowing. The mole is a fossorial mammal. See Also: fossorious … Wiktionary
Fossorial Giant Rat — Taxobox name = Fossorial Giant Rat status = VU | status system = IUCN2.3 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia familia = Cricetidae genus = Kunsia species = K. fronto binomial = Kunsia fronto binomial authority =… … Wikipedia
fossorial — burrowing … Dictionary of ichthyology
fossorial — adj. [L. fossor, digger] Fitted for or having the habit of digging … Dictionary of invertebrate zoology
fossorial — /fo sawr ee euhl, sohr /, adj. Zool. 1. digging or burrowing. 2. adapted for digging, as the hands, feet, and bone structure of moles, armadillos, and aardvarks. [1830 40; < LL fossori(us) adapted to digging (equiv. to L fod(ere) to dig + torius… … Universalium
fossorial — fos·so·ri·al || fÉ‘ sÉ”rɪəl /fÉ’ sÉ”Ër adj. (Zoology) able to dig or burrow; suitable for digging … English contemporary dictionary
