Definition of "brachiation"

brachiation

noun
countable and uncountable, plural brachiations
1. (zoology) Movement by swinging the arms from one hold to the next.
  Quotations
  Species that normally move by brachiation (swinging from hand to hand while hanging from supports) or vertical leaping and clinging require substantially different cage designs from conventional quadrapedal striders even if all are of similar body weight.
  1998, National Research Council (U. S.), Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates, page 23