bipedalism
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bipedalism
Explanation
Bipedalism is the characteristic of walking on two feet, rather than four. Your bipedalism means you stand upright on two legs — it also means that you skip, run, dance, and tiptoe using two feet. This word's roots go back to the Latin bi-, "two," and ped, "foot." Bipedalism is any kind of movement involving two feet, and animals that get around this way are described as bipedal or called bipeds. As human ancestors evolved, bipedalism became a big advantage, allowing us to grab things with our hands as we stood and walked around on our feet. Other animals that use bipedalism include ostriches, bears, and some apes.
Vocabulary lists containing bipedalism
Body Language: Ped, Pod ("Foot")
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Content Summary 1.1: Human Adaptation and Migration in the Paleolithic World
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Paleontology - High School
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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.
Bipedalism is a Newcastle tradition: meet the 2012 queen of the Blaydon Races, Sheila Shorrick-Dodds.
From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2012
Bipedalism gave us an advantage over our ape cousins in terms of our capacity to wander.
From Scientific American • Oct. 11, 2011
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.
