proleg

[proh-leg] /ˈproʊˌlɛg/

Word Origin

noun

one of the abdominal ambulatory processes of caterpillars and other larvae, as distinct from the true or thoracic legs.

Origin of proleg

1810-1820

First recorded in 1810-20; pro-¹ + leg

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for proleg

Historical Examples

These claws, which sometimes amount to nearly a hundred on one proleg, are alternately longer and shorter.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. II (of 4) William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for proleg

proleg

/ˈprəʊˌlɛɡ/

noun

any of the short paired unjointed appendages on each abdominal segment of a caterpillar and any of certain other insect larvae

Word Origin

C19: from pro-1 + leg

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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