Meanings
plural polydactylies
- countableuncountablemedicineA congenital condition in which a person or animal has more than the usual number of digits (fingers or toes) on at least one of the hands or feet.
The rare polydactylies, that is, not clearly only postaxial or only preaxial, are the most likely to be associated with an underlying syndrome.
2021, Leah W. Burke, “3: Genetics of Associated Syndromes”, in Donald R. Laub Jr., editor, Congenital Anomalies of the Upper Extremity, Springer, page 423 more examples
2003, Karl-Heinz Grzeschik, 66: Greig Cephalopolysyndactyly Syndrome, Mary Ann McLaughlin (supervising editor), NORD Guide to Rare Disorders, National Organization for Rare Disorders, Wolters Kluwer (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), page 201, Postaxial polydactyly is common in the hands and preaxial polydactyly in the feet.
Pranamya Menaria (India; born August 10, 2005) has 25 in total (12 fingers and 13 toes). This is as a result of the condition Polydactyly and Syndactyly.
2008, “Most Fingers and Toes — Living Person”, in Guinness World Records, Human Body — Extreme BodiesPolydactyly with a triphalangeal thumb will be described in the chapter on the triphalangeal thumb.[…]The incidence of polydactyly depends on the population studied and the definition used. Region, ethnicity and combined numbers of all polydactylies, or only radial or ulnar-sided polydactyly, provide very different incidences in published series.
2023, Christianne van Nieuwenhoven, Steven Hovius, “9: Thumb Polydactyly”, in Giorgio Pajardi, editor, Pediatric Hand Surgery, Springer, page 102Synonyms: hyperdactyly, polydactylism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA congenital condition in which a person or animal has more than the usual number of digits (fingers or toes) on at least one of the hands or feet.
More synonyms by meaning
nounbirth defect characterized by the presence of more than the normal number of fingers or toes
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekπολυδάκτυλος
- Englishpolydactyly
From Ancient Greek πολυδάκτυλος (poludáktulos) + -y, from πολυ- (polu-, “many”) + δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “digits”), equivalent to poly- + dactyly or polydactyl + -y.^((Etymology 3))
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَثْرَة اَلْأَصَابِع
- كَثْرَة اَلْأَصَابِعcondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Chinese Mandarin 多指, 多指畸形
- 多指 (duōzhǐ)condition of having more than the usual number of digits
- 多指畸形 (duōzhǐyīxíng)condition of having more than the usual number of digits
Czech polydaktylie
- polydaktyliecondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Dutch polydactylie
- polydactyliecondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Finnish polydaktylia
- polydaktyliacondition of having more than the usual number of digits
French polydactylisme, polydactylie
- polydactylismecondition of having more than the usual number of digits
- polydactyliecondition of having more than the usual number of digits
German Polydaktylie
- Polydaktyliecondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Indonesian polidaktili
- polidaktilicondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Korean 다지증
- 다지증 (dajijeung)condition of having more than the usual number of digits
Swedish polydaktyli
- polydaktylicondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Tagalog pagkakaingkit
- pagkakaingkitcondition of having more than the usual number of digits
Cite this entry
polydactyly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydactyly
“polydactyly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydactyly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polydactyly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydactyly.
Source: polydactyly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.