Hyperdactylies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition characterized by an excessive number of fingers or toes beyond the normal count, involving additional digits on one or more limbs; a congenital anomaly leading to polydactyly manifestations; the occurrence of supernumerary digits in a biological or medical context
2. A medical abnormality where a person has more than the typical five fingers or toes per hand or foot, entailing the presence of extra digits; a hereditary or developmental irregularity producing additional phalanges; an example of congenital limb variation marked by digit multiplication
3. The state of having surplus fingers or toes due to genetic or developmental factors, resulting in extra digits on hands or feet; a characteristic anomaly known as polydactyly; a phenomenon observed in certain species or individuals defined by digit overproduction

Etymology: "Hyperdactylies" is the plural of "hyperdactyly," the condition of having more fingers or toes than the usual five on each hand or foot. The noun is built from Greek roots: "hyper-" meaning "over" or "beyond," and "daktylos," meaning "finger" or "toe." The same Greek stem gives English "dactyl," the metrical foot of a long syllable followed by two short ones, named for the way a finger has one long segment and two shorter ones. The plural form simply reflects that the noun is countable: each individual case, or each separate instance of the condition, can be counted. Its meaning sits alongside the more common term "polydactyly," which describes the same trait.

Synonyms: polydactylies, supernumerary digits

Antonyms: oligodactylies