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.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

• arthropodous adjective

Etymology

Origin of arthropod

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

Explanation

An arthropod is an animal with no internal spine, a body made of joined segments, and a hard covering, like a shell. Spiders are one type of arthropod. Many different kinds of animals fall into the category known as arthropods, most of them insects or spiders, but also including crustaceans like shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. Their bodies are jointed and they have an exoskeleton, their hard outer covering. The Modern Latin root is Arthropoda, which is also the name of the animals' phylum, and which means "those with jointed feet."

Example Sentences

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 • Nov. 3, 2025

Her manner of speech is otherworldly, like an arthropod testing out human vocal folds.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

The island has startling natural beauty, from lush vegetation to pristine white beaches, and is also home to the world’s biggest terrestrial arthropod - the coconut crab.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2024

Thought to live only in the limestone caves of that region, the colorful arthropod defends itself by producing cyanide.

From National Geographic • Feb. 7, 2024

One transformation involves a change of intermediate vector: when a microbe relying on some arthropod vector for transmission switches to a new host, the microbe may be forced to find a new arthropod as well.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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