Zygodactyl
/ˌzaɪɡəˈdæk.tɪl/noun
Having two toes or digits directed forward and two backward, as in many woodpeckers and parrots.
Did you know?The second half comes from Greek daktylos, “finger,” the same word behind the poetic term dactyl, whose long-short-short rhythm was imagined through the joints of a finger.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeug-
“To join, harness, or yoke together; the root behind the idea of binding parts into one working unit.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
zygon
“A yoke, the crosspiece used to join animals or connect parts.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
daktylos
“A finger or toe; literally associated with a digit or grasping extremity.”
19th Century
Scientific Greek
zygodactylos
“Having toes arranged in pairs, with two directed forward and two backward.”
Modern English
English
zygodactyl
“A bird or foot with the paired, opposing toe arrangement characteristic of parrots, woodpeckers, and related birds.”