Fossorial

adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any digging animal (such as a mole)
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or adapted for digging or burrowing.

    "The most specialized fossorial mammals (moles, marsupial mole) are subterranean, seeking food and shelter underground and rarely coming to the surface."

Adjective
  1. 1
    (of limbs and feet) adapted for digging wordnet

Example

More examples

"The most specialized fossorial mammals (moles, marsupial mole) are subterranean, seeking food and shelter underground and rarely coming to the surface."

Etymology

From Latin fossōrius (“adapted for digging or delving”), from fodiō (“dig”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.