Word of the day: Pollex

Pollex

[PAH-leks]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 18th century

The innermost digit of a forelimb, especially the thumb in primates.

Examples of pollex in a sentence

"Ernie’s polydactyl cat had an additional pollex."

"The shopping bag was light enough that I could carry it with my pollex alone."

About Pollex

“Pollex” comes directly from the same word in Latin, meaning “thumb” or “big toe.”

Did you Know?

The English word “pollex” comes directly from Latin, though variations on the word exist in other European languages. In Russian, “palex” means “finger,” “bol′šoj palec” means “thumb,” and “palec nogi” means “toe.” In both Czech and Bulgarian, “palec” means “thumb.”