quadruped
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of quadruped
1640–50; < Latin quadruped- (stem of quadrupēs ), equivalent to quadru- quadru- + -ped- -ped
Compare meaning
How does quadruped compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A squirrel, a zebra, a deer, a wolf, and a grizzly bear meet in a field. Yes, a disaster in the making, but also a bunch of quadrupeds — animals that walk on four feet. Cut quadruped in half and it makes sense: quadru means four, like when a woman births four babies they are called quadruplets. And –ped is for the feet: think of centipedes and millipedes, insects that have so many feet it’s disturbing. A human is a biped because they walk on two feet. If you meet a human with four feet, you could call him a quadruped. You could also call the circus and let them know their quadruped is loose.
Vocabulary lists containing quadruped
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Body Language: Ped, Pod ("Foot")
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"Ode to the Table" by Pablo Neruda
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Quadruped; seen by star-light, and by the aid of a pocket-lamp, in the prairies of North America—see Journal for Latitude and Meridian.
From The Prairie by Cooper, James Fenimore
Across the sands of Syria, Or, possibly, Algeria, Or some benighted neighbourhood of barrenness and drouth, There came the Prophet Sam-u-el Upon the Only Cam-u-el— A bumpy, grumpy Quadruped of discontented mouth.
From The Book of Humorous Verse by Wells, Carolyn
Human Skeleton in the Attitude of a Quadruped.
From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard
Quadruped trespassers were to be rounded up and swept at a gallop up the drive and out into the highroad.
From Further Adventures of Lad by Terhune, Albert Payson
Left Iliac Bone of the Human Being: External Surface, placed in the Position which it would occupy in the Skeleton Of a Quadruped.
From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
