ungulate

adjective

un·gu·late | \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət,

ˈən-, -ˌlāt\

Definition of ungulate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : having hooves ungulate mammals

2 : of, relating to, or affecting ungulates ungulate diseases

ungulate

noun

Definition of ungulate (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

Examples of ungulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In areas where tribes hunted deer and elk, fire created a mat of forage plants on the forest floor, a favorite food for the ungulates. — Kate Wiliams, The Seattle Times, "Controlled burns in OR: Can more fires create less smoke?," 15 Oct. 2018 Since their introduction in the 1920s, their numbers have blossomed into a staggering 700 ungulates. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Mountain Goats Are Being Airlifted Out of a National Park Because They Crave Human Pee," 28 Sep. 2018 That’s not to say Grande and Davidson are the first people to take in an adorable ungulate, as the New York Times reports. — Ella Riley-adams, Vogue, "Are Pigs the New It Pet? Ariana Grande and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele Say Yes," 28 Sep. 2018 Similar results have been found in other families of mammals, like ungulates (deer, camels, and the like) and cetaceans (whales and dolphins). — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "The evolutionary mystery of gigantic human brains," 23 Aug. 2018 The white-spotted ungulates, imported in the 19th century by King Kamehameha V, have no natural predators in Hawaii and number more than 10,000 on Lanai alone, ravaging crops and pastureland. — Ben Lowy, Smithsonian, "The Lionfish Have Invaded, But a Ragtag Army of Divers and Chefs Are Fighting Back," 23 May 2018 Thus babies in plays are rarer than odd-toed ungulates. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Attention new parents: 'Cry It Out' at Northlight is worth the price of a sitter," 20 May 2018 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

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.

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More Definitions for ungulate

ungulate

noun

un·gu·late | \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət

Kids Definition of ungulate

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

ungulate

adjective

un·gu·late | \ ˈəŋ-gyə-lət,

ˈən-,

-ˌlāt\

Medical Definition of ungulate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : having hooves

2 : of or relating to the ungulates

ungulate

noun

Medical Definition of ungulate (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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)