digitigrade

Etymology

From French digitigrade, from Latin digitus (“finger, toe, digit”) + gradus (“step; pace”); compare New Latin digitigradus.

adj

1. (zoology) Of an animal: walking on the toes, putting the weight of the body mainly on the ball of the foot, with the back of the foot, or heel, raised.
2. (zoology) Of feet or a manner of walking: of, resembling, or pertaining to that of a digitigrade animal.
3. (zoology, specifically) Belonging to the Digitigrada of the taxonomic order Carnivora.

noun

1. (zoology, chiefly in the plural) A digitigrade animal; an animal that walks on its toes, such as a cat or a dog.