brachiate

verb

bra·​chi·​ate ˈbrā-kē-ˌāt 

brachiated; brachiating

intransitive verb

: to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms

a brachiating gibbon

brachiation

ˌbrā-kē-ˈā-shən 

noun

brachiator

ˈbrā-kē-ˌā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Certain members of the ape family, such as the gibbon, have the ability to propel themselves by grasping hold of an overhead tree branch (or other projection) and swinging the body forward. (Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are less likely to travel in this manner, due to the weight of their bodies; when they do, it is only for very short distances.) The word for this action, brachiate, derives from bracchium, the Latin word for "arm." Brachiate shares etymological ancestors with such words as bracelet (an ornamental band or chain worn around the wrist) and brachiopod (a category of marine organisms with armlike feeding organs called lophophores). Another relative is pretzel. That word's German root, Brezel, is related to the Latin brachiatus, meaning "having branches like arms."

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

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