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myriapod

or myr·i·o·pod

[mir-ee-uh-pod]
See more synonyms for myriapod on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any arthropod of the group Myriapoda, having an elongated segmented body with numerous paired, jointed legs, formerly classified as a class comprising the centipedes and millipedes.
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adjective
  1. Also myr·i·ap·o·dous [mir-ee-ap-uh-duh s] /ˌmɪr iˈæp ə dəs/. belonging or pertaining to the myriapods.
  2. having very numerous legs.
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Origin of myriapod

From the New Latin word Myriapoda, dating back to 1820–30. See myria-, -pod
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for myriapod

Historical Examples

  • In the Myriapod we still have the elongated body and successive pairs of legs.

    The Story of Evolution

    Joseph McCabe

  • Myriapod, mir′i-a-pod, (more correctly) Myr′iopod, n. a worm-shaped animal with many-jointed legs.

  • In his first article he mistakes a species of the myriapod genus Glomeris for the isopod genus Armadillo.

    Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution

    Alpheus Spring Packard

British Dictionary definitions for myriapod

myriapod

noun
  1. any terrestrial arthropod of the group Myriapoda, having a long segmented body and many walking limbs: includes the centipedes and millipedes
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Myriapoda
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Derived Formsmyriapodan (ˌmɪrɪˈæpədən), adjectivemyriapodous, adjective

Word Origin

C19: from New Latin Myriapoda. See myriad, -pod
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
myriapod in Science

myriapod

[mĭr′ē-ə-pŏd′]
  1. Any of various arthropods belonging to several closely related groups, having long segmented bodies, one pair of antennae, and at least nine pairs of legs. Centipedes and millipedes are myriapods.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.