heelwalker
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of the order Mantophasmatodea of carnivorous, wingless insects that superficially resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids.
Example Sentences
- "The gladiator heelwalker (Tyrannophasma gladiator) is a ferocious nocturnal predator. It uses both front and middle legs to grab and crush its spider and insect prey."
- "Heelwalkers possess a highly modified tarsal attachment system. All extant species lift the distalmost tarsomere permanently off the substrate and primarily use their euplantulae for locomotion."
Etymology
Compound of heel + walker, from the fact that these insects have a habit of walking with the tips of their feet held up in the air.