Adactyl

/ˌeɪˈdæktɪl/ noun

Definition

An organism or individual lacking fingers or toes, or a word without a dactylic metrical pattern.

Etymology

From Greek 'a-' (without) + 'daktylos' (finger or toe). The term entered English in the 19th century with both biological and prosodic meanings.

Kelly Says

This word beautifully demonstrates how ancient Greek anatomy vocabulary got borrowed into poetry—the same 'daktylos' root refers to both human fingers and a metrical foot because ancient poets thought the three-syllable pattern resembled a finger's three bones!

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