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Origin and history of plantigrade

plantigrade(adj.)

"walking on the whole sole of the foot" (opposed to digitigrade), 1831, from French plantigrade "walking on the sole of the foot" (1795), from Latin planta "sole of the foot" (from nasalized form of PIE root *plat- "to spread") + gradi "to walk, go, step" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go"). Used of man and quadrupeds (bears, etc.) whose heels touch the ground in walking.

also from 1831

Entries linking to plantigrade

digitigrade(adj.)

"walking on the toes with the heel raised from the ground" (opposed to plantigrade), by 1819, from Modern Latin digitigradus, from digitus "toe" (see digit) + gradi "to walk, go, step" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go"). As a noun, "a digitigrade mammal," by 1802.

unguligrade(adj.)

"walking upon hoofs," 1856, from combining form of Latin unguis (see ungual) + ending as in plantigrade. It is attested in French by 1852, which probably was the source of the English word.

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man
"a featherless plantigrade biped mammal of the genus Homo" [Century Dictionary], Old English man, mann "human being, person...
mammal
"an animal of the class Mammalia; an animal that suckles its young," 1826, Englished form of Modern Latin Mammalia (1773), coined 1758 by Linnaeus for that class of animals from neuter plural of Late Latin mammalis "of the breast," from Latin mamma "breast," which is cognate with
history
late 14c., "relation of incidents" (true or false), from Old French estoire, estorie "story; chronicle, history" (12c., Modern French histoire), from Latin historia "narrative of past events, account, tale, story," from Greek historia "a learning or knowing by inquiry; an account
Gothic
"of the Goths," the ancient Germanic people, "pertaining to the Goths or their language," 1610s, from Late Latin Gothicus, from Gothi, Greek Gothoi (see Goth). Old English had Gotisc. As a noun, "the language of the Goths," from 1757. Gothic was used by 17c. scholars to mean "Ger
strike
Middle English striken, from Old English strican (past tense strac, past participle stricen) "pass lightly over, stroke, smooth, rub" (senses now obsolete), also "go, move, proceed, make one's way," from Proto-Germanic *strikanan (source also of Old Norse strykva "to stroke," Old
cohort
early 15c., "company of soldiers, band of warriors," from French cohorte (14c.) and directly from Latin cohortem (nominative cohors) "enclosure," with meaning extended to "infantry company" in the Roman army through the notion of "enclosed group, retinue;" from assimilated form o
clock
"machine to measure and indicate time mechanically" (since late 1940s also electronically), late 14c., clokke, originally "clock with bells," probably from Middle Dutch clocke (Dutch klok) "a clock," from Old North French cloque (Old French cloke, Modern French cloche "a bell"),
symposium
"convivial meeting for drinking, conversation, and intellectual stimulation," 1711, from Latin symposium "drinking party, symposium," from Greek symposion "drinking party, convivial gathering of the educated" (related to sympotēs "drinking companion"), from assimilated form of sy
remedy
c. 1200, remedie, "means of counteracting sin or evil of any kind; cure for a vice or temptation;" late 14c., "a cure for a disease or disorder, medicine or process which restores health;" from Anglo-French remedie, Old French remede "remedy, cure" (12c., Modern French remède) an
bath
Old English bæð "an immersing of the body in water, mud, etc.," also "a quantity of water, etc., for bathing," from Proto-Germanic *badan (source also of Old Frisian beth, Old Saxon bath, Old Norse bað, Middle Dutch bat, German Bad), from PIE root *bhē- "to warm" + *-thuz, German

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