Arthropoda
|Ar-thro-po-da|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑrθrəˈpoʊdə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑːθrəˈpəʊdə/
jointed appendages (jointed feet/legs)
Etymology
'Arthropoda' originates from Greek, specifically the roots 'arthron' and 'pous' (later seen as 'podos'), where 'arthron' meant 'joint' and 'pous' meant 'foot'.
'Arthropoda' was formed in New (Modern) Latin in the 19th century from the Greek elements 'arthron' + 'pous' and was adopted into scientific English as the name of the phylum 'Arthropoda'.
Initially it literally meant 'jointed foot' or 'jointed feet' based on the Greek roots, but over time it evolved to denote the taxonomic group (phylum) of animals with jointed appendages and an exoskeleton.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a major phylum of invertebrate animals characterized by an external skeleton (exoskeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages; includes insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods.
Arthropoda is the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, encompassing insects, spiders, and crustaceans.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/01 16:41