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Jan 27, 2010
This week's themeWords made with combining forms This week's words theogony oligopoly artiodactyl heliolatry hagiography Artiodactyl
Toes of a camel
(photo: Nancy E. Martinez)
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargartiodactyl
PRONUNCIATION:
(ahr-tee-o-DAK-til)
MEANING:
adjective:
Having an even number of toes on each foot.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek artio- (even in number, perfect) + -dactyl (toed, fingered).
The mammal order Artiodactyla is made up of animals such as pig, camel,
and giraffe. Those having an odd number of toes are called perissodactyl,
from Greek perisso- (uneven, strange). Examples: horse, tapir, and rhinoceros.
USAGE:
"Joe Palca: By the way, you may not be aware that the pig is only the
second artiodactyl to have its genome sequenced -- the cow came
first."Renee Montagne; Scientists Decode DNA of Domestic Pig; Morning Edition; National Public Radio (Washington, DC); Nov 2, 2009. See more usage examples of artiodactyl in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If God exists, I hope he has a good excuse. -Woody Allen, author, actor, and filmmaker (b. 1935)
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