Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Tardigrada"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Tardigrada \Tar`di*gra"da\, n. pl. [NL. See {Tardigrade}, a.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A tribe of edentates comprising the sloths.
They are noted for the slowness of their movements when on
the ground. See {Sloth}, 3.
2. (Zo["o]l.) An order of minute aquatic arachnids; -- called
also {bear animalcules}, {sloth animalcules}, and {water
bears}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Tardigrada
n : in some classifications considered a separate phylum:
microscopic arachnid-like invertebrates living in water
or damp moss having 4 pairs of legs and instead of a
mouth a pair of stylets or needle-like piercing organs
connected with the pharynx [syn: {Tardigrada}, {class
Tardigrada}]
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