ungulate

adjective un·gu·late \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət , ˈən- , -ˌlāt \

Updated on: 31 Mar 2018

Definition of ungulate

1 : having hooves

ungulate mammals

2 : of, relating to, or affecting ungulates

ungulate diseases

See ungulate defined for kids

Recent Examples of ungulate from the Web

This has caused many problems for Goody because animals such as cows, horses and giraffes put about 70 percent of their weight on their front legs, said Melissa McCartney, lead ungulate zookeeper.

— carolyn wilke, sacbee, "A 14-foot-tall arthritis patient receives treatment at the Sacramento Zoo," 18 Aug. 2017
An artist's rendering shows the South American native ungulate Macrauchenia patachonica which had a number of remarkable adaptations, including the positioning of its nostrils high on its head in this illustration released on March 17, 2015.

— josh rosenblatt, Fox News, "Animal that flummoxed Darwin finds its genetic home," 28 June 2017
Animal Adventure Park took the world by storm with its 24-hour feed of April and her ungulate family.

— kim komando, Fox News, "Tech Q&A: Track the solar eclipse," 7 May 2017
Male horns may also attract females looking for the strongest mate, though in most ungulate species, females also have horns, says Patrick Bergin, chief executive officer of the African Wildlife Foundation.

— National Geographic, "Bizarre Horns of the Animal Kingdom," 6 Aug. 2016
That was surprising, because the ungulate-rich region should have been great territory for the graceful and speedy cats.

— joshua rapp learn, Smithsonian, "Poaching Isn’t the Cheetah’s Only Problem," 6 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of ungulate

Late Latin ungulatus, from Latin ungula hoof, from unguis nail, hoof

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1839

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, vole

ungulate

noun

Definition of ungulate

: a hoofed typically herbivorous quadruped mammal (such as a pig, cow, deer, horse, elephant, or rhinoceros) of a group formerly considered a major mammalian taxon (Ungulata) — see artiodactyl, perissodactyl

Recent Examples of ungulate from the Web

Before the pronghorn's numbers dwindled, surveyors charting the U.S.-Mexico border in the late 1800s saw the agile ungulates in every valley from Nogales, Sonora, to Yuma.

— alex devoid, azcentral, "Back from the brink, the Sonoran pronghorn now roam an increasingly political landscape," 27 Mar. 2018
Beware, ungulates of Labrador: Your black bears have a taste for caribou.

— josh dean, Esquire, "America's 10 Toughest Animals," 2 June 2015
Still, these are hulking ungulates, the largest land animals on the continent, standing up to six-feet-high at the shoulder and weighing upwards of 1.5 tons.

— josh dean, Esquire, "America's 10 Toughest Animals," 2 June 2015
According to the study, ungulates often chew on bones to get minerals like phosphorus, calcium and sodium into their diet.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Deer Caught Gnawing on Human Bones," 8 May 2017
At the time, ungulates had swarmed in Serengeti-like numbers.

— paul salopek, National Geographic, "Giant ‘Arrows’ Seen From Space Point to a Vanished World," 11 Aug. 2016
The state’s northern reaches appear to be home to a small but growing number of the gangly ungulates, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

— benjamin spillman, USA TODAY, "Nevada has moose (meese?) now and they’re dangerous," 8 Oct. 2017
And above all, try not to turn into an odd-toed ungulate.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "Review: The Beasts Have Arrived, in a Yiddish ‘Rhinoceros’," 14 Sep. 2017
Some of the larger herds of these moose-like ungulates make the longest land migrations of any mammal, trekking across frozen ice sheets in the north of Canada.

— joshua rapp learn, Smithsonian, "How Killing Moose Can Save Caribou," 29 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of ungulate

New Latin Ungulata, from Late Latin, neuter plural of ungulatus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1842

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

UNGULATE Defined for Kids

ungulate

noun un·gu·late \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət \

Definition of ungulate for Students

: a usually plant-eating animal (as a cow, horse, or sheep) with hooves

Medical Dictionary

ungulate

adjective un·gu·late \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət , ˈən- , -ˌlāt \

medical Definition of ungulate

1 : having hooves

2 : of or relating to the ungulates

ungulate

noun

medical Definition of ungulate

: a hoofed typically herbivorous quadruped mammal (as a pig, camel, hippopotamus, horse, tapir, rhinoceros, or elephant) of a polyphyletic group formerly considered a major mammalian taxon (Ungulata)