biped
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of biped
1640–50; < Latin biped- (stem of bipēs ) two-footed. See bi- 1, -ped
Compare meaning
How does biped compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A biped is an animal that walks on two legs, with two feet. Human beings are one example of bipeds. Most animals are not bipeds, but mammals that are include kangaroos and some primates. The ostrich, a giant, flightless bird, is the fastest living biped, and animals like bears and lizards are occasional bipeds. The word itself combines bi-, "twice or double" in Latin, and pedis, "foot." Four-footed animals, on the other hand, are quadrupeds.
Vocabulary lists containing biped
Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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Paleontology: Dinosaurs - Introductory
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Animals (Zoology) - Middle 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.
Plus, who wouldn’t want to enjoy fresh action scenes starring Yeoh, one of the few recent Oscar winners who can also kick a biped in the face?
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025
When anthropologists uncovered five of its fossilized footprints nearly 50 years ago, they couldn’t say whether this ancient biped was a hominin, a bear, or some other ape.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 1, 2021
The end-result is that the bot can not only hop and walk but skateboard and slackline, skills that are beyond the remit of this particular biped.
From The Verge • Oct. 12, 2021
“That’s the end of paradise,” he said, “And the beginning of biped world.”
From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2021
“I was telling the boy that according to Plato, man is delined,” he said, smiling affably and gesturing to the cart, “as a featherless biped with broad nails, receptive of political philosophy.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
