altricial

[ al-trish-uhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

, Zoology.

helpless at birth or hatching and requiring parental care for a period of time ( precocial. )

altricial

/ ælˈtrɪʃəl /

(of the young of some species of birds after hatching) naked, blind, and dependent on the parents for food

altricial

/ ăl-trĭsh′əl /

Born or hatched in a helpless condition requiring prolonged parental care, as by being naked, blind, or unable to move about. Nesting birds, monotremes, marsupials, and carnivores have altricial young.
Compare precocial

1870–75; < Latin altrīc-, stem of altrīx wet nurse, nourisher ( al ( ere ) to nourish ( aliment ) + -trīx -trix ) + -al ¹

C19: from New Latin altriciālis, from Latin altrix a nurse, from alere to nourish

How does altricial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Note the helpless altricial young of the robin; the independent precocial young of the quail.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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