digitigrade

Meanings

Adjective

• Of an animal: walking on the toes, putting the weight of the body mainly on the ball of the foot, with the back of the foot, or heel, raised.
• Of feet or a manner of walking: of, resembling, or pertaining to that of a digitigrade animal.
• Belonging to the Digitigrada (group) of the taxonomic order Carnivora.

Noun

• A digitigrade animal; an animal that walks on its toes, such as a cat or a dog.

Origin

• From French digitigrade, from Latin digitus ("finger, toe, digit") + gradus; compare New Latin digitigradus.