plantigradeadj.n.
/ˈplantɪɡreɪd/, U.S. /ˈplæn(t)əˌɡreɪd/ A. adj.
1. † b. Of, relating to, or resembling a plantigrade animal, as a bear. Obsolete. rare.
a. Zoology and Medicine. That walks upon the soles of the feet; adapted for or designating such a manner of walking. Formerly spec.: †of, relating to, or designating the former tribe Plantigrada of carnivorous mammals, including bears, badgers, raccoons, etc. (obsolete). Cf. digitigrade adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by locomotion > [adjective] > adapted for walking > walking on soles of feet
plantigrade1827
palmigrade1858
1827 E. Griffith et al. Cuvier's Animal Kingdom II. 413 The Pougouné is entirely plantigrade.
1836 T. Bell in Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 470/2 In some [carnivores], hence termed plantigrade, the whole foot rests on the ground.
1875 Encycl. Brit. I. 830/1 The human foot, therefore, is a pentadactylous, plantigrade foot.
1877 E. Coues Fur-bearing Animals vii. 188 They are terrestrial animals,..the walk is plantigrade.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xxi. 683 When the palm and instep regions are more or less flat on the ground, as in the bear tribe, the term used is plantigrade.
1980 G. Corbet & D. Ovenden Mammals Brit. & Europe 176 Bears... Their feet are plantigrade, the entire sole and heel making contact with the ground.
2003 Amer. Jrnl. Sports Med. (Nexis) 31 692 The ankle was immobilized in a plantigrade position, and they were advised to bear weight.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Ursidae (bear) > [adjective]
ursinec1550
plantigrade1853
ursid1921
the world > animals > by locomotion > [adjective] > adapted for walking > walking on soles of feet > of animal that walks on soles
plantigrade1853
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xl. 362 A hirsute, bearded fellow, with the true plantigrade countenance.
1861 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner iv. 32 The black bear alone could have set that plantigrade seal.
2. Of a human being: having flat feet, flat-footed. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > [adjective] > having specific manner of walking > with whole sole on ground
whole-footed1750
plantigrade1837
1837 C. le Grice in Lamb's Wks. (1876) I. 7 His [sc. Lamb's] step was plantigrade, which made his walk slow and peculiar.
1861 W. H. Russell My Diary North & South (1863) I. 384 He [sc. the negro] is plantigrade and curved as to the tibia.
1902 J. Davidson Testaments No. III 21 Frosty Nennook, swaying plantigrade Upon his fur-shod soles.
1996 Intellectual Property Mag. (Nexis) June An invention is an article which the ordinary plantigrade bozo has not the wit to think of.
B. n.
Chiefly Zoology. A plantigrade animal; a creature that walks on the soles of its feet. Formerly spec.: any of the former tribe Plantigrada (obsolete).
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the world > animals > mammals > [noun] > members of disused divisions
plantigrade1835
subplantigrade1847
microsthene1863
mutilate1863
the world > animals > by locomotion > [noun] > that walks > on soles of feet
plantigrade1835
1835 W. Kirby On Power of God in Creation of Animals II. xvii. 212 The Plantigrades are so called because they walk, like man, upon the whole foot.
1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species i. 9 With the exception of the plantigrades or bear family.
1860 O. W. Holmes Professor at Breakfast-table ii. 36 The large-brained, thumb-opposing plantigrade.
1958 R. Garnett tr. B. Heuvelmans On Track of Unknown Animals vi. 146 The plantigrades stand mainly on the fleshy part of the sole of the foot and on the toes, and their claws do not always touch the ground.
2001 San Diego Union-Tribune (Nexis) 28 Dec. b1 Plantigrades, including bears and humans, walk on the flat of the foot.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.n.1827