digitigrade

di·gi·ti·grade
D2I1G2I1T1I1G2R1A1D2E1
UK/ˈdɪd͡ʒɪtɪˌɡɹeɪd/UK/dɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪˌɡɹeɪd/US/ˈdɪd͡ʒətəɡɹeɪd/US/-ɾə/

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.

Similar
digitigrade mammal
Opposite
plantigrade
OriginFrench digitigrade ← Latin digitus →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

adjectivedigitigrade (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyOf 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.
  2. not comparablebiologyOf feet or a manner of walking: of, resembling, or pertaining to that of a digitigrade animal.
  3. not comparableobsoletespecificallybiologyBelonging to the Digitigrada of the taxonomic order Carnivora.
noundigitigrade (plural digitigrades)

plural digitigrades

  1. in pluralbiologyA digitigrade animal; an animal that walks on its toes, such as a cat or a dog.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjective(of mammals) walking on the toes with the posterior part of the foot raised (as cats, dogs, and horses do)

Opposite
plantigrade

nounan animal that walks so that only the toes touch the ground as e.g. dogs and cats and horses

Similar
digitigrade mammal
Broader
placentalplacental mammaleutherian

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latindigitus“finger, toe, digit”
  2. Frenchdigitigrade
  3. Englishdigitigrade

From French digitigrade, from Latin digitus (“finger, toe, digit”) + -grade (“gait”); compare New Latin digitigradus.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian който ходи на пръстите си
  • който ходи на пръстите си (kojto hodi na prăstite si)walking on the toes
Czech prstochodec
  • prstochodecanimal that walks on its toes
Dutch teenganger
  • teengangeranimal that walks on its toes
Finnish varvasastuja
  • varvasastujaanimal that walks on its toes
French digitigrade, digitigrade
  • digitigradewalking on the toes
  • digitigradeanimal that walks on its toes
German Zehengänger
  • Zehengängeranimal that walks on its toes
Hungarian ujjonjáró, ujjonjáró
  • ujjonjárówalking on the toes
  • ujjonjáróanimal that walks on its toes
Indonesian digitigrad, digitigrad
  • digitigradwalking on the toes
  • digitigradanimal that walks on its toes
Japanese 趾行の, 趾行動物
  • 趾行の (shikō no)walking on the toes
  • 趾行動物 (shikō dōbutsu)animal that walks on its toes
Malay pejalan jari, digitigrad
  • pejalan jarianimal that walks on its toes
  • digitigradanimal that walks on its toes
Romanian digitigrad, digitigrad
  • digitigradwalking on the toes
  • digitigradanimal that walks on its toes
Swedish digitigrad, tågående
  • digitigradwalking on the toes
  • tågåendewalking on the toes
  • tågångareanimal that walks on its toes
Welsh bysgerddol, bysgerddwr
  • bysgerddolwalking on the toes
  • bysgerddwranimal that walks on its toes
Cite this entry
APA

digitigrade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digitigrade

MLA

“digitigrade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digitigrade. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “digitigrade,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digitigrade.

Source: digitigrade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.