Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking fingers and/or toes: Describes a congenital condition where an individual is born without one or more fingers, one or more toes, or all digits on the hands and/or feet.

Usage

• The term is a technical, medical adjective used primarily in biological, anatomical, and clinical contexts to describe a specific physical anomaly.
• It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb).

Examples

• Attributive use:
  • The veterinarian documented the adactylous limb of the newborn foal.
  • An adactylous condition was noted in the patient's medical history.
• Predicative use:
  • The rare genetic syndrome can cause an individual to be adactylous.
  • The species is characterized by being adactylous.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often found in scientific literature describing congenital disorders, teratology (the study of abnormalities), and specific zoological traits.
• "adactyly" (noun): The condition of being adactylous.
  • The study focused on the genetic causes of adactyly.

Variants and Related Words

• Adactyly (n): The medical condition of having missing fingers or toes.
• Ectrodactyly (n): A related but distinct condition involving the split or cleft hand/foot, often with missing central digits.
• Aphalangia (n): The absence of one or more phalanges (finger or toe bones), which may result in an adactylous appearance.

Synonyms

• Digitless: Lacking digits (fingers or toes). (Less technical)
• Apodal: In zoology, specifically meaning footless or lacking feet, but contextually related.

Antonyms

• Dactylate: Having fingers or toes.
• Digitigrade: Walking on the toes (implies the presence of toes).

Adjective

1. without fingers and/or toes