isopod

[ ahy-suh-pod ]

/ ˈaɪ səˌpɒd /

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noun

any freshwater, marine, or terrestrial crustacean of the order or suborder Isopoda, having seven pairs of legs typically adapted for crawling, and a dorsoventrally flattened body, and including wood lice, several aquatic parasites of crabs and shrimps, and numerous swimming or bottom-dwelling species.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the Isopoda.

having the feet all alike, or similar in character.

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Origin of isopod

From the New Latin word Isopoda, dating back to 1825–35. See iso-, -pod

OTHER WORDS FROM isopod

i·sop·o·dan

[ahy-sop-uh-dn], /aɪˈsɒp ə dn/, adjective, nouni·sop·o·dous, adjective

Words nearby isopod

isophote, isophthalic acid, isopiestic, isoplastic graft, isopleth, isopod, isopolity, isopor, isoprene, isoprenoid, isopropanol

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

How to use isopod in a sentence

Some tanks also included the centimeters-long Idotea balthica, a type of isopod crustacean, while others didn’t.
Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed|Jake Buehler|July 28, 2022|Science News
When isopods were present, fertilization success was about 20 times as high as in their absence.
Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed|Jake Buehler|July 28, 2022|Science News
They also may include giant isopods, which burrow into the body.
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets|Stephen Ornes|October 15, 2020|Science News For Students
In his paper on the development of the fresh-water Isopod, Asellus, Rathke returns to this point.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

This little crustacean is associated in its work on submerged timber with the isopod Limnoria lignorum.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
The male of this isopod, which inhabits the bay of Christiansand, is not yet known.
Animal Parasites and Messmates|P. J. Van Beneden
The marine isopod Idotea entomon, related to the common wood-louse, has a similar distribution.
The History of the European Fauna|R. F. Scharff
Bucholz has recently described a new kind of isopod, allied to the lyriopes, which lives on the Hemioniscus.
Animal Parasites and Messmates|P. J. Van Beneden

British Dictionary definitions for isopod

isopod

/ (ˈaɪsəʊˌpɒd) /

noun

any crustacean of the order Isopoda, including woodlice and pill bugs, in which the body is flattened dorsoventrally

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Isopoda

Derived forms of isopod

isopodan (aɪˈsɒpədən) or isopodous, 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 isopod

isopod

[ ī′sə-pŏd′ ]

Any of numerous mostly small crustaceans of the order Isopoda, characterized by a flattened body usually bearing seven pairs of legs. Isopods include the sow bugs, pill bugs, and gribbles.