hexapod

American  

[hek-suh-pod] / ˈhɛk səˌpɒd /

noun

1. a six-legged arthropod of the class Insecta (formerly Hexapoda); an insect.

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adjective

1. having six feet.

hexapod British  

/ ˈhɛksəˌpɒd /

noun

1. any arthropod of the class Hexapoda (or Insecta ); an insect

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Other Word Forms

• hexapodous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of hexapod

1660–70; < Greek hexapod- (stem of hexápous ) six-footed. See hexa-, -pod

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hexapod

By filling the long-standing 80 million-year hexapod gap, the work pushes the early diversification of insects back from the Late Carboniferous into the Early Devonian.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Undisputed hexapod body fossils first appear in the Early Devonian Rhynie Chert around 405 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

These included Leverhulmia from the Early Devonian of Scotland, an unnamed hexapod from the Mazon Creek biota of Illinois, USA, and C. praecursor.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The fossils therefore help document the anatomical transition from pancrustacean ancestors to hexapod insects.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

He watched with unflagging vigilance, and it was only when the hexapod expanded its wings as if for flight that he prepared to imprison it in the hollow of his hand.

From Dick Sands, the Boy Captain by Ellen E. Frewer

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