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A.Word.A.Day--tardigrade

tardigrade (TAR-di-grayd) noun

Any of various tiny, slow-moving invertebrates of the phylum Tardigrada.

adjective

1. Of or pertaining to the phylum Tardigrada.

2. Slow-moving.

[From Latin tardigradus (slow-moving), from tardus (slow) + gradus (stepping). Another animal that is named in the same manner is bustard. Other words derived from the same root are tardy and retard.]

"I had an inkling of some subtle spark to which his tardigrade pace served as the perfect foil." Thomas J McCarthy, The Walker, America (New York), Nov 25, 2000.

This week's theme: miscellaneous words.

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