Ungulous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having feet or digits furnished with hooves or hoof-like nails
2. Possessing hooves or similar hard curved structures on the feet
3. Equipped with hoof-shaped or claw-like appendages at the extremities

Etymology: "Ungulous" is formed from "ungula," a Latin word meaning a hoof or claw, and the English suffix "-ous," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having the qualities of" or "full of" the thing named. Put together, the word describes something hoof-like or having hooves. The root "ungula" traces back to Latin "unguis," meaning a nail or claw, which is also the source of English "ungual," relating to nails or claws. Latin speakers used the same stem for the claw of an animal and the hoof of a horse or cow, so a hoof was understood as a broad, flattened claw. The term is a technical one, used mainly in zoology and anatomy, rather than in everyday speech.