decapod

[ dek-uh-pod ]

See synonyms for decapod on Thesaurus.com

noun

any crustacean of the order Decapoda, having five pairs of walking legs, including the crabs, lobsters, crayfish, prawns, and shrimps.
any dibranchiate cephalopod having ten arms, as the cuttlefish or squid.

(initial capital letter) a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, ten driving wheels, and no rear truck.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the decapods.
having ten feet or legs.

Origin of decapod

First recorded in 1825–35, decapod is from the New Latin word Decapodaname of the order.See deca-, -pod

Other words from decapod

de·cap·o·dan [duh-kap-uh-dn], /dəˈkæp ə dn/, adjective, noun
de·cap·o·dous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decapod in a sentence

Some of them have ten of these arms, and are called decapods; the rest have only eight and are known as octopods.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History | Theodore Wood
In decapods, or the larger Crustacea, they are at the base of the antennules.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold
Other allied species are found on Hermit Crabs and other Decapods.
The Life of Crustacea | William Thomas Calman
Decapoda—decapods, the ten-armed cuttlefishes, or calamaries, and the squids.
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life | Ernest Ingersoll
The lining membrane of the gill chambers also appears to aid in respiration as in other terrestrial Decapods.
The Life of Crustacea | William Thomas Calman

British Dictionary definitions for decapod

decapod

/ (ˈdɛkəˌpɒd) /

noun

any crustacean of the mostly marine order Decapoda, having five pairs of walking limbs: includes the crabs, lobsters, shrimps, prawns, and crayfish
any cephalopod mollusc of the order Decapoda, having a ring of eight short tentacles and two longer ones: includes the squids and cuttlefish

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to either of these orders
(of any other animal) having ten limbs

Derived forms of decapod

decapodal (dɪˈkæpədəl), decapodan or decapodous, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for decapod

decapod

[ dĕk′ə-pŏd′ ]

Any of various crustaceans of the order Decapoda, characteristically having ten legs, each joined to a segment of the thorax. Crabs, hermit crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are decapods.
A cephalopod mollusk, such as a squid or cuttlefish, having ten armlike tentacles.

Browse