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myriapod

myriapod

9.9
A land animal with many body sections and many legs, like centipedes or millipedes
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪrɪəˌpɒd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : miriápodo
  • The forest floor was alive with myriapods crawling among the damp leaves.

Examples

  • Scientists discovered a new species of myriapod in the rainforest.

  • A myriapod can have hundreds of legs, allowing it to move swiftly through the forest floor.

  • Many myriapods play a vital role in breaking down decaying plant material.

  • Look at that myriapod hiding under the rock!

  • The myriapod crawled slowly across the forest floor.

  • The children were fascinated by the myriapod they found hiding under the rock.

  • Centipedes, a type of myriapod, are known for their long bodies and multiple segments.

Synonyms

arthropod
vsmyriapod
  • Specialized
4 7.0

An animal without a backbone that has jointed legs and a hard shell like insects or crabs

is a narrower group limited to terrestrial many-segmented bodies with many legs
thousand-legs
vsmyriapod
7.7

A small long creature with many legs like a millipede

is the formal category name covering those segmented terrestrial many-legged arthropods

Surface Forms

myriapod singular
myriapods plural

Morphology

myriapod = pod (opaque) = myria + pod

The root 'myria' is not a standalone English word and may not be recognized by learners, making the connection to 'many' unclear.

Etymology

Myriapod comes from Greek parts myria- meaning 'many' and -pod meaning 'foot'. So a myriapod is an animal with many feet, like centipedes and millipedes.