quadruped

[ kwod-roo-ped ]

/ ˈkwɒd rʊˌpɛd /

adjective

noun

an animal, especially a mammal, having four feet.

Nearby words

quadru-, quadrumane, quadrumanous, quadrumvir, quadrumvirate, quadruped, quadruple, quadruple run, quadruple time, quadruplet, quadruplex

Origin of quadruped

1640–50; < Latin quadruped- (stem of quadrupēs), equivalent to quadru- quadru- + -ped- -ped

Related forms

quad·ru·pe·dal

[kwo-droo-pi-dl, kwod-roo-ped-l] /kwɒˈdru pɪ dl, ˌkwɒd rʊˈpɛd l/, adjectivequad·ru·ped·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quadrupedal

The limbs of Chalicotherium are nearly of the same size, and the animal seems to have been stout and quadrupedal.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
Let us take, for instance, the elevation of man's ancestors from the quadrupedal to the bipedal position.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage
My Dog-man imperceptibly slipped back to the dog again; day by day he became dumb, quadrupedal, hairy.
The Island of Doctor Moreau|H. G. Wells
There might have been a quadrupedal civilization, in which a city gentleman put on four boots to go to the city every morning.
What's Wrong With The World|G.K. Chesterton

With blunt-pointed teeth and blunt claws, quadrupedal, with elephant-like limbs and feet, long neck and small head.
Dinosaurs|William Diller Matthew

British Dictionary definitions for quadrupedal

quadruped

/ (ˈkwɒdrʊˌpɛd) /

noun

an animal, esp a mammal, that has all four limbs specialized for walking

adjective

having four feet

Derived Forms

quadrupedal (kwɒˈdruːpɪdəl, ˌkwɒdrʊˈpɛdəl), adjective

Word Origin for quadruped

C17: from Latin quadrupēs, from quadru- (see quadri-) + pēs foot

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

Science definitions for quadrupedal

quadruped

[ kwŏd′rə-pĕd′ ]

An animal having four feet, such as most reptiles and mammals.

Related forms

quadrupedal adjective (kwŏ-drōō′pə-dəl, kwŏd′rə-pĕd′l)