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digitigrade (adj.)

"walking on the toes with the heel raised from the ground" (opposed to plantigrade), by 1819, from Modern Latin digitigradus, from digitus "toe" (see digit) + gradi "to walk, go, step" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go"). As a noun, "a digitigrade mammal," by 1802.

Origin and meaning of digitigrade

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Definitions of digitigrade from WordNet
1
digitigrade (n.)
an animal that walks so that only the toes touch the ground as e.g. dogs and cats and horses;
Synonyms: digitigrade mammal
2
digitigrade (adj.)
(of mammals) walking on the toes with the posterior part of the foot raised (as cats, dogs, and horses do);
From wordnet.princeton.edu