opposable thumb
[ ə-pō′zə-bəl ]
A thumb that can be placed opposite the fingers of the same hand. Opposable thumbs allow the digits to grasp and handle objects and are characteristic of primates.
Words Nearby opposable thumb
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
How to use opposable thumb in a sentence
It had the same place in crustacean development that the opposable thumb is believed to have had in that of man.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites | Percy Edward RaymondWhat a comedy that man should work so hard to prove that his chief glory is his opposable thumb, or a few ounces of brain matter!
The Whence and the Whither of Man | John Mason TylerWhat would man's power be as a tool-using animal without his strong, opposable thumb?
The Last Harvest | John Burroughs
Cultural definitions for opposable thumb
A thumb that can be used for grasping.
Notes for opposable thumb
Notes for opposable thumb
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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