Tardigrade

//ˈtɑɹdɪˌɡɹeɪd// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A member of the animal phylum Tardigrada.
  2. 2
    an arthropod of the division Tardigrada wordnet
  3. 3
    A sloth, a neotropical mammal of suborder Folivora (syn. Tardigrada). obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    Sluggish; moving slowly.

    "Each tendril ending in a perfect claw, / Obeys the whole routine of Nature's law; / Transforms each sinus to a sylvan shade, / Though p'rhaps its force is rather tardigrade."

Synonyms

All synonyms
dreichdullinertlethargicremisssloth

Example

More examples

"I swear I saw a tardigrade waving to me!"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Latin tardigradus (“slowly stepping”), from tardus (“slow”) + gradior (“step, walk”).

Etymology 2

From translingual Tardigrada.

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