quadrupedal
1
8.2
- adjective
- /ˌkwɒdrəˈpɛdəl/
:
cuadrúpedo
- Horses are quadrupedal, allowing them to gallop gracefully over long distances.
Examples
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Robots designed for exploration on uneven terrain often have a quadrupedal design for better stability.
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A quadrupedal female ape can continue to forage while her baby rides on her back, but carrying an infant while walking bipedally means that the hands are not "freed," but enslaved.
Academic text (1995) -
In fact, if you want there to be less pressure on the bladder, you might as well make us quadrupedal.
Blog text (28) -
Unlike quadrupedal paddlers, the feet of Ambulocetus are much longer than its hands.
Academic text (2001) -
For this behavior to be a cause of bipedalism, it must have begun while they were still quadrupedal anthropoids.
Academic text (1995) -
Ankylosaurus was quadrupedal, with the hind limbs longer than the forelimbs.
Blog text (2) -
The dog is a quadrupedal animal, using all four legs to run swiftly across the field.
Synonyms
2
6.5
Having four legs for walking
1
3.4
An animal that has four feet, like a dog or horse
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
quadrupedal = quadruped (semi-transparent) = quadru + ped + al
The adjective is formed from the technical base 'quadruped' plus '-al', but the specialized sense 'walking or moving on four legs' is only partly predictable for many learners.
Etymology
The word quadrupedal comes from two parts: quadri- meaning 'four' and ped- meaning 'foot'. So, like bipedal which is 'two-footed' and pedal which you press with your foot, quadrupedal means 'walking or moving on four feet'.