tardigrade

noun

tar·​di·​grade ˈtär-də-ˌgrād 

: 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

Examples of tardigrade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The intention was to determine how well tardigrades did in the regolith, with an eye on one day converting Martian regolith — which is dead, inorganic dirt — into organic soil in which plants can grow. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Mar. 2026

Microscopic analysis revealed mineral particles clustered around the tardigrades’ mouths, suggesting physical or chemical interference with their biological functions. —Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026

In 2016, researchers uncovered one of the tardigrade’s secrets: a gene with a sequence unlike any other known to exist in nature that makes a protein found only in tardigrades. —Tyler J. Woodward, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2025

From snailfish and wood frogs to painted turtles and tardigrades, these remarkable creatures display a knack for thriving – or at least carrying on – in a niche of their own. —Erin Douglass, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Latin tardigradus slow-moving, from tardus slow + gradi to step, go — more at grade entry 1

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tardigrade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed