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Synonyms

arthropod

American  
[ahr-thruh-pod] / ˈɑr θrəˌpɒd /

noun

  1. any invertebrate of the phylum Arthropoda, having a segmented body, jointed limbs, and usually a chitinous shell that undergoes moltings, including the insects, spiders and other arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods.

adjective

  1. Also arthropodal arthropodan arthropodous belonging or pertaining to the Arthropoda.

arthropod British  
/ ˈɑːθrəˌpɒd, ɑːˈθrɒpədəs /

noun

  1. any invertebrate of the phylum Arthropoda, having jointed limbs, a segmented body, and an exoskeleton made of chitin. The group includes the crustaceans, insects, arachnids, and centipedes

"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
arthropod Scientific  
/ är′thrə-pŏd′ /

  1. Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum Arthopoda, characterized by an exoskeleton made of chitin and a segmented body with pairs of jointed appendages. Arthropods share many features with annelids and may have evolved from them in the Precambrian Era. Arthropods include the insects, crustaceans, arachnids, myriapods, and extinct trilobites, and are the largest phylum in the animal kingdom.

Other Word Forms

  • arthropodous adjective

Etymology

Origin of arthropod

1875–80; < New Latin Arthropoda; arthro-, -pod

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.

This species produces especially sticky mucus, which is related to its diet as a predator of arthropods.

From Science Daily

Spider-parasitic mites feed on lymph, a fluid that circulates through the bodies of certain arthropods.

From Science Daily

Early land was just beginning to host simple plants similar to liverworts, along with many-legged arthropods creeping along coastlines.

From Science Daily

Beyond cephalopods, xanthommatin is also found in insects within the arthropod group, contributing to the brilliant orange and yellow hues of monarch butterfly wings and the bright reds seen in dragonfly bodies and fly eyes.

From Science Daily

Mollusks such as snails and mussels, along with vertebrates, were the most affected, while plants and arthropods faced relatively few losses.

From Science Daily

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.