Standard Lemma guide

polydactylous

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Having more than the normal number of digits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • A polydactylous cat may have six or more toes on its paw.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective

Meaning 2

of or relating to a person (or other vertebrate) having more than the normal number of digits

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: polydactyl

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English polydactyl Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English polydactylous From polydactyl + -ous.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: polydactyle — having additional digits
  • Italian: polidattilo — having additional digits
  • Manx: yl-vairagh — having additional digits