Main Entry: tar·di·grade

Pronunciation: \ˈtär-də-ˌgrād\

Function: noun

Etymology: ultimately from Latin tardigradus slow-moving, from tardus slow + gradi to step, go — more at grade

Date: 1860

: any of a phylum (Tardigrada) of microscopic invertebrates with four pairs of stout legs that live usually in water or damp moss —called also water bear