tardigrade

noun tar·di·grade \ ˈtär-də-ˌgrād \

Definition of tardigrade

: 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

Recent Examples of tardigrade from the Web

Earth is home to remarkably sturdy life like the tardigrade.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "There Is Life That Can Reproduce in the Most Mars-Like Place on Earth," 27 Feb. 2018
Higgins was enamored by the tenacity of tardigrades, with their death-defying adaptions to desiccation, freezing, radiation, and other extreme environmental stresses.

— adrienne mason, Smithsonian, "King of The Mud Dragons," 2 Mar. 2018
The species is part of a set of tardigrades known as hufelandi, which had not been identified anywhere in East Asia.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "New species of tardigrade, world's most indestructible creature, discovered in parking lot in Japan," 1 Mar. 2018
Macrobiotus hufelandi was the first tardigrade species ever discovered, way back in 1834.

— stephanie pappas, Scientific American, "A New Type of Tardigrade Just Turned Up in a Parking Lot," 2 Mar. 2018
Video provided by Newsy Newslook More news from the bizarre world of tardigrades, those freaky microscopic creatures that look like something out of your weirdest nightmares.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "New species of tardigrade, world's most indestructible creature, discovered in parking lot in Japan," 1 Mar. 2018
This is the 168th tardigrade species found in Japan.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "New Tardigrade Species Found in Parking Lot," 28 Feb. 2018
The river is home to its own mini-ecosystem, supporting algae and little micro-animals like worms and tardigrades.

— ken jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Not-So-Winding Ways of Antarctica’s Longest River," 12 Feb. 2018
This would be catastrophic for many life-forms on the surface, but tardigrades would have a refuge.

— National Geographic, "These 'Indestructible' Animals Would Survive a Planet-Wide Apocalypse," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tardigrade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.