quadruped
Other forms: quadrupeds
A squirrel, a zebra, a deer, a wolf, and a grizzly bear meet in a field. Yes, a disaster in the making, but also a bunch of quadrupeds — animals that walk on four feet.
Cut quadruped in half and it makes sense: quadru means four, like when a woman births four babies they are called quadruplets. And –ped is for the feet: think of centipedes and millipedes, insects that have so many feet it’s disturbing. A human is a biped because they walk on two feet. If you meet a human with four feet, you could call him a quadruped. You could also call the circus and let them know their quadruped is loose.
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an animal especially a mammal having four limbs specialized for walkingtype of:tetrapoda vertebrate animal having four feet or legs or leglike appendages
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having four feetsynonyms: four-footed, quadrupedalantonyms:bipedhaving two feet
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Vocabulary lists containing quadruped
You're sure to get off on the right foot when you learn this list of words that derive from the Latin word pes and the Greek word podi, both meaning "foot." Want to dissect more English words related to anatomy? Here are links to our complete set of Body Language lists: Corp ("Body") / Capit, Capt ("Head") / Or, Os ("Mouth") / Dent, Dont ("Tooth") / Gastr, Gastro ("Stomach") / Neur ("Nerve") / Man ("Hand") / Ped, Pod ("Foot") / Derm ("Skin") / Carn ("Flesh") / Os, Osteo ("Bone") / Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart") / Psych ("Mind")
