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Glite Dictionary
apodous

apodous

9.9
Having no legs or feet like eels and some snakes
  • adjective
  • /ˈæpədəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : apodo
  • Eels are often considered apodous fish due to their lack of limbs.

Examples

  • The apodous snake slithered silently through the grass.

  • Some species of amphibians have evolved to become apodous as an adaptation to burrowing.

  • Because they are apodous, eels move using undulating movements rather than walking.

  • The glass snake is an apodous reptile that is often mistaken for a real snake.

  • Eels are often considered apodous fish because they lack limbs and move through the water with ease.

  • The glass snake is an apodous reptile, which means it does not have legs like many other reptiles.

  • Some species of amphibians have adapted to become apodous, which helps them burrow into the ground.

Synonyms

apodal
vsapodous
  • Specialized
9.9

Not having feet or legs, like a snake

is used mainly for snakes and some fishes lacking feet

Antonyms

limbed
1 6.4

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

Surface Forms

apodous positive

Morphology

apodous = a + pod + ous

Formed from Greek combining elements (privative a- + pod 'foot' + -ous), which are technical combining forms not productive standalone English words, so an average B1 learner would not reliably infer 'without feet'.

Etymology

Apodous comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'without' and pous meaning 'foot', the same root you see in tripod, meaning 'three feet', and octopus, meaning 'eight feet'. So, apodous literally means 'without feet', which is why we use it for animals that have no legs.