threefingered

Threefingered is an adjective describing beings or objects that have three fingers or digits on a hand or analogous appendage, or that exhibit a three-digit morphology. The term is used across biology, medicine, and culture to denote tridactyl form, whether as a natural trait, a developmental condition, or a design choice in art and media.

In biology, tridactyl configurations occur in various lineages and are of interest to researchers studying limb development and evolution. They can arise from changes in gene regulation during limb formation, or from selective pressures that favor a reduced digit set. When described, the term is typically descriptive rather than taxonomic.

In medical contexts, oligodactyly refers to having fewer than the typical number of digits; threefingered hands may be observed in congenital conditions, after injury, or as a result of surgical modification. The term is also used in fiction and visual arts to signal nonhuman, fantastical, or stylized hands.

Related terms include polydactyly (extra digits) and oligodactyly (fewer digits). In anatomy, digit terminology is used to describe which digits are present. See also hand anatomy and vertebrate limb development.