reptatorial

English

WOTD – 2 April 2021

Etymology

    From reptatory (crawling, creeping) +‎ -al (suffix forming adjectives). Reptatory is probably derived from New Latin reptatorius (used in the binomial nomenclature of species), from Latin rēptātus (on which one has crawled; where one has swum) + -tōrius (suffix forming adjectives);[1] rēptātus is the perfect passive participle of rēptō (to crawl or creep (over or through)), the frequentative form of rēpō (to crawl, creep), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁p-.

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɹɛp.təˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əl/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɹɛp.təˈtɔ.ɹɪ.əl/
    • Hyphenation: rep‧ta‧tor‧i‧al
    • Rhymes: -ɔːɹiəl

    Adjective

    reptatorial (not comparable)

    1. (zoology) Crawling, creeping.
      Synonyms: reptant, (obsolete) reptatory

    Translations

    References

    1. ^ reptatorial”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

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