tardigrada Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun in some classifications considered a separate phylum: microscopic arachnid-like invertebrates living in water or damp moss having 4 pairs of legs and instead of a mouth a pair of stylets or needlelike piercing organs connected with the pharynx
    class Tardigrada.

WordNet

Tar`di*gra"da noun plural
Etymology
NL. See Tardigrade, a.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A tribe of edentates comprising the sloths. They are noted for the slowness of their movements when on the ground. See Sloth, 3.
  2. (Zoöl.) An order of minute aquatic arachnids; -- called also bear animalcules, sloth animalcules, and water bears.

Webster 1913