copepod

American  

[koh-puh-pod] / ˈkoʊ pəˌpɒd /

noun

1. any of numerous tiny marine or freshwater crustaceans of the order (or subclass) Copepoda, lacking compound eyes or a carapace and usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax, some abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fish.

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copepod British  

/ ˈkəʊpɪˌpɒd /

noun

1. any minute free-living or parasitic crustacean of the subclass Copepoda of marine and fresh waters: an important constituent of plankton

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Copepoda

copepod Scientific  

/ kō′pə-pŏd′ /

1. Any of various very small crustaceans of the subclass Copepoda, having an elongated body and a forked tail. Unlike most crustaceans, copepods lack a carapace over the back and do not have compound eyes. They are abundant in both salt and fresh water, and are an important food source for many water animals. Copepods include the water fleas.

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Etymology

Origin of copepod

1830–40; < New Latin Copepoda name of the order < Greek kṓpē a handle, oar + -poda -poda

Example Sentences

Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and lobsters.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

Instead a larva must first be ingested by a copepod, a crustacean akin to a tiny shrimp.

From Scientific American • Sep. 29, 2022

Calamus finmarchicus is the dominant copepod in the Gulf of Maine.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

It’s Neocalanus spp., a type of copepod — a zooplankton — not seen during The Blob, as the massive marine heat wave came to be called.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2021

In the killer whale may be found a seal, in the seal a fish, in the fish a smaller fish, in the smaller fish a copepod, and in the copepod a diatom.

From Scott's Last Expedition Volume I by Scott, Robert Falcon