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Glite Dictionary
apodal

apodal

9.9
Not having feet or legs, like a snake
  • adjective
  • /ˈeɪpədəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : apodal
  • Many species of snakes are apodal and have adapted to move without limbs.

Examples

  • Some amphibians have evolved from having legs to being completely apodal in adulthood.

  • The apodal body structure of eels makes them excellent swimmers in narrow spaces.

  • The apodal species of fish are fascinating to study.

  • An apodal organism can adapt to various environments.

  • Many species of snakes are apodal and have adapted to move without limbs.

  • The apodal body structure of eels makes them excellent swimmers in narrow spaces.

  • Some amphibians have evolved from having legs to being completely apodal in adulthood.

Synonyms

limbless
vsapodal
1 5.0

A creature without arms or legs, like a snake

also covers lack of feet not only missing limbs
apodous
vsapodal
  • Specialized
9.9

Having no legs or feet like eels and some snakes

is the same meaning but used more generally for animals
footless
vsapodal
8.3

Having no legs or other body parts for walking

is broader covering absence of any limbs not only feet

Antonyms

limbed
1 6.4

With arms or legs, often used to describe people with long ones

Surface Forms

apodal positive

Morphology

apodal = podal (semi-transparent) = a + pod + al

The form is a regular privative prefix 'a-' plus the adjective-forming '-al', but both 'podal' and the combining form 'pod-' are technical and unfamiliar to most learners.

Etymology

Apodal comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'without' and pod- meaning 'foot', the same root you see in pedal. So apodal simply means 'without feet' and is used for animals that move without limbs.