Adactylous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /eɪˈdæk.tɪl.əs/

Definitions

1. A condition marked by the lack of digits such as fingers or toes
2. Pertaining to an organism that exhibits an absence of limb digits
3. Describing a state in which an individual or creature has no fingers or toes

Etymology: "Adactylous" is a straightforward compound built from three pieces. The first is the Greek prefix "a-", meaning "without" or "not", which English inherited through Ancient Greek. The second is "dactyl", from Greek "daktylos", meaning "finger" or "toe", a word that also gave English terms for the poetic foot of one long syllable followed by two short ones, named for the way a finger has one long bone and two shorter ones. The final "-ous" is the common English adjectival ending, which came into English through Old French from Latin "-osus". Put together, the word simply describes a body without digits on its hands or feet. Its parts are all classical, which is why it reads as a scientific term rather than an everyday one.