Pododactyl
/ˌpoʊdoʊˈdæktɪl/noun
An animal or structure having digits, or fingerlike parts, on the feet.
Did you know?The word joins Greek pous, “foot,” with daktylos, “finger”—the same Greek word that gave the rhythmic poetic term dactyl, named for the finger’s three bones.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“Foot; the anatomical root behind the “podo-” element”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πούς (pous), genitive ποδός (podos)
“Foot”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δάκτυλος (daktylos)
“Finger; also a metrical pattern named for the finger’s three segments”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
pododactylus
“Having digits on the feet; formed as a zoological compound from Greek roots”
Modern English
English
pododactyl
“An organism or structure characterized by digit-bearing feet”