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# tardigrade

noun (a tardigrade, tardigrades); also called water bear, moss piglet

«tardigrade» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A tardigrade is a tiny, eight-legged animal, usually less than 1 millimetre long, that lives in water, moss and soil and can survive extreme conditions. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science lessons tardigrades amaze pupils: you need a microscope to see them; they look like chubby little bears with claws. When their home dries out they curl into a dry «tun» and can survive freezing, boiling, crushing pressure, radiation and even outer space for a while, then come back to life when wet. They live almost everywhere, from mountaintops to the deep sea. The name means «slow walker». Phrases: «water bear», «moss piglet».

### Examples

- A tardigrade is smaller than a full stop. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x1)
- Tardigrades are also called water bears. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x2)
- We looked for tardigrades in wet moss with a microscope. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x3)
- Tardigrades survived a trip into outer space. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x4)
- A dried-out tardigrade can come back to life in water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x5)
- Tardigrades have eight stubby legs with claws. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/#x6)

### Note

Plural «tardigrades». Say TAR-di-grade. Trap: they are tough, but not indestructible; they can be killed, and they are not really bears or pigs.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «tardigrade» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tardigrade/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«tardigrade» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tardigrade.html) on Mova free.