tetrapod

American  

[te-truh-pod] / ˈtɛ trəˌpɒd /

noun

1. any vertebrate having four limbs or, as in the snake and whale, having had four-limbed ancestors.

2. an object, as a caltrop, having four projections radiating from one central node, with each forming an angle of 120° with any other, so that no matter how the object is placed on a relatively flat surface, three of the projections will form a supporting tripod and the fourth will point directly upward.

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adjective

1. having four limbs or descended from four-limbed ancestors.

tetrapod British  

/ ˈtɛtrəˌpɒd /

noun

1. any vertebrate that has four limbs

2. Also called: caltrop.  a device consisting of four arms radiating from a central point, each at about 109° to the others, so that regardless of its position on a surface, three arms form a supporting tripod and the fourth is vertical

3. engineering a very large cast concrete structure of a similar shape piled in large numbers round breakwaters and sea defence systems to dissipate the energy of the waves

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tetrapod Scientific  

/ tĕt′rə-pŏd′ /

1. Having four feet, legs, or leglike appendages.

2. Any of various mostly terrestrial vertebrates that breathe air with lungs. Most tetrapods have two pairs of limbs, though some, such as whales and snakes, have lost one or both pairs. Tetrapods include the amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and various extinct groups, and evolved from lobe-finned fish during the late Devonian Period. Tetrapods are classified according to the structure of their skull into anapsids, diapsids, and synapsids.

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Etymology

Origin of tetrapod

1820–30; < New Latin tetrapodus < Greek tetrapod- (stem of tetrápous ) four-footed. ( see tetra-, -pod) + New Latin -us adj. suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tetrapod

Throughout their research the duo analyzed that fossil's juvenile features along with another, smaller embolomere and other species of fossil baby tetrapod relatives.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

The research team found that similar to the tetrapod and lobe-finned fish Aqp10s, Aqp10.1 in ray-finned fishes also transport water, glycerol, urea, and boric acid.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2023

By looking at these branches, scientists could see how the tetrapod body evolved, step by step.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2022

My tetrapod bias requires that several talks were especially enjoyable.

From Scientific American ● May 19, 2018

Contributions to the question of the origin of the tetrapod limb.

From The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence by Eaton, Theodore H. (Theodore Hildreth)