perissodactyl

[ puh-ris-oh-dak-til ]

adjective

1. having an uneven number of toes or digits on each foot.

noun

1. any mammal of the order Perissodactyla, comprising the odd-toed hoofed quadrupeds and including the tapirs, rhinoceroses, and horses.

perissodactyl

/ pəˌrɪsəʊˈdæktɪl; pəˌrɪsəʊˈdæktaɪl /

noun

1. any placental mammal of the order Perissodactyla, having hooves with an odd number of toes: includes horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Perissodactyla

perissodactyl

/ pə-rĭs′ō-dăk′təl /

1. Any of various hoofed mammals of the order Perissodactyla, having one or three hoofed toes on each hindfoot. During the Tertiary Period, perissodactyls were the dominant herbivorous fauna. Horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses are perissodactyls.
2. Also called odd-toed ungulate

Derived Forms

• peˌrissoˈdactylous, adjective

Other Words From

• pe·risso·dacty·lous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perissodactyl¹

1840–50; < New Latin perissodactylus < Greek perissó ( s ) uneven, literally, beyond the norm, strange (derivative of périx (preposition and adv.) round about, akin to perí; peri- ) + -daktylos -dactylous

Word History and Origins

Origin of perissodactyl¹

C19: from New Latin perissodactylus, from Greek perissos uneven + daktulos digit

Example Sentences

For some considerable time now, there have been rumours of an incredible zoological discovery: a new species of living perissodactyl – a tapir – due to be announced from the Amazon.

From Scientific American

One leading to the existing perissodactyl foot, and the other, apparently later, resulting in the artiodactyl type.

From Project Gutenberg

The tapirs are an ancient family which has changed but little since it separated from the other perissodactyl stocks in the early Tertiary.

From Project Gutenberg

This is because of our still very incomplete knowledge of several perissodactyl genera of the Eocene, any one of which may eventually prove to be the ancestor sought for.

From Project Gutenberg

The plantigrade pentadactyl foot of the primitive Ungulate—and even the perissodactyl foot that succeeded it—both belong to the past humid period of the world’s history.

From Project Gutenberg