opposable

«opposable» in Mova's school dictionary: Able to be placed opposite and pressed against the other… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective

meaning for a pupil

Able to be placed opposite and pressed against the other fingers, like a human thumb, so that the hand can grip and pick things up. tree →

sense in the lessons

A science word in lessons on humans, apes and adaptations: «opposable thumbs» let humans, apes and many monkeys hold tools, write and climb. Some animals, like koalas and opossums, have opposable digits on their feet or hands.

examples

• Humans have opposable thumbs, so we can hold a pencil. tree →
• Try picking up a coin without using your opposable thumb. tree →
• Chimpanzees have opposable thumbs and big toes. tree →
• Opposable thumbs helped early humans to make tools. tree →
• Koalas have two opposable digits for gripping branches. tree →
• Pandas have a special bone that works like an opposable thumb. tree →

note

Adjective, used almost always in «opposable thumb(s)». From «oppose» (to place against). Nothing to do with being against someone.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «opposable» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.