Toed

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /təʊd/

Definitions

1. Possessing a particular arrangement of digits on the feet or hands
2. Referring to the structure of the extremities being defined by specific types or counts of digits
3. Having limbs characterized by a certain configuration or quantity of digits

Etymology: "Toed" is about as plain as English word-building gets: the noun "toe" with the suffix "-ed" added, giving an adjective meaning having toes of a particular kind, as in "pigeon-toed" or "club-footed" styles of description. The suffix "-ed" is one of the most productive in the language, turning nouns into adjectives that describe a thing as possessing or being marked by that noun. "Toe" itself is an old word, inherited from Old English "tā," which is why the same shape appears in related Germanic languages. The surprising part lies in the noun rather than the suffix. The Old English form "tā" was a plural-stable word that for centuries was used in the same way as its modern plural, and the singular "toe" was reshaped by analogy with the plural over time. Words like "toed" therefore sit on a stem that has changed shape during the history of English, even though the adjective itself was built in a straightforward way from the modern noun.

Synonyms: digitated, phalanx, grasping, clawed, footed

Antonyms: untended, flat-footed, non-digital, lacking, ungrasping