Etymology

dactyly

D2A1C3T1Y4L1Y4

Today it means: The number and arrangement of digits (fingers and toes) on the hands, feet, or (sometimes) wings, of a tetrapod animal. Full definition →

Ancient Greek δάκτυλος
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · borrowed fromδάκτυλος“finger”
  2. English todaydactyly

From Ancient Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”), equivalent to dactyl- + -y.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekδάκτυλος all →

datedactylsyndactylycamptodactyly-dactyldactylectomydactyliographydactylitisdactylo-dactylomancydactyloscopydactylousgonodactyloidmacrodactylicparadactyltetradactyltridactylzygodactylous

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.