quadruped
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word 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.
The volunteers were readily enlisted and pushed off hopefully to find the haunts of Dragon Twist, Slymousie the Quadruped and Sprite Scaly.
From Old Farm Fairies: A Summer Campaign In Brownieland Against King Cobweaver's Pixies by McCook, Henry Christopher
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
The third party to the proposed alliance was Slymousie the Quadruped.
From Old Farm Fairies: A Summer Campaign In Brownieland Against King Cobweaver's Pixies by McCook, Henry Christopher
Quadruped Race The first two players on each team stand back to back behind the base line, with the first player facing the distance line.
From School, Church, and Home Games by Draper, George Orrin
You may remember, that Leatherwing related to the squirrel the History of Minimus, or "Some Passages in the Life of the smallest Quadruped in the World."
From The Squirrels and other animals Illustrations of the habits and instincts of many of the smaller British quadrupeds by Waring, George
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.
