Meanings
plural artiodactyls
- biologyAny ungulate mammal with an even number of toes and belonging to the Artiodactyla, including pigs, sheep, deer, cattle, and most grazing animals. In contrast, horses have an odd number of toes and as such are not Artiodactyla, but Perissodactyla.First known use 19th c.
I have been unable to find out if these are linked in some way to the 1945 Budapest hippos, with the possibility this would create of a parallel history of Central Europe seen through the endurance of one brave African artiodactyl family.
2013, Simon Winder, Danubia, Picador, published 2014, page 397Synonyms: even-toed ungulate
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny ungulate mammal with an even number of toes and belonging to the Artiodactyla, including pigs, sheep, deer, cattle, and most grazing animals. In contrast, horses have an odd number of toes and as such are not Artiodactyla, but Perissodactyla.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof or relating to or belonging to mammals of the order Artiodactyla
nounplacental mammal having hooves with an even number of functional toes on each foot
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἄρτιος“even”
- taxonomic nameArtiodactyla
- Englishartiodactyl
Learned borrowing from taxonomic name Artiodactyla, from Ancient Greek ἄρτιος (ártios, “even”) + δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger, toe”).
More words from taxonomic name, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian чифтокопитно
- чифтокопитно (čiftokopitno)any ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Catalan artiodàctil
- artiodàctilany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Chinese Mandarin 偶蹄目
- 偶蹄目 (ǒutímù)any ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Finnish sorkkaeläin
- sorkkaeläinany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
French artiodactyle
- artiodactyleany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
German Paarhufer, Paarzeher
- Paarhuferany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
- Paarzeherany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
- paarzehiges Huftierany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Icelandic klaufdýr
- klaufdýrany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Italian artiodattilo
- artiodattiloany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Japanese 偶蹄目, ウシ目
- 偶蹄目 (gūteimoku)any ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
- ウシ目 (ushi-moku)any ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Malay artiodaktil
- artiodaktilany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Polish parzystokopytne
- parzystokopytneany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Portuguese artiodáctilo
- artiodáctiloany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Romanian artiodactil
- artiodactilany ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Russian парнокопы́тное
- парнокопы́тное (parnokopýtnoje)any ungulate mammal with an even number of toes
Cite this entry
artiodactyl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/artiodactyl
“artiodactyl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/artiodactyl. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “artiodactyl,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/artiodactyl.
Source: artiodactyl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.