arthropodan
|ar-thro-po-dan|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˈθrɑpədæn/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˈθrɒpədæn/
jointed-legged animal; relating to arthropods
Etymology
'arthropodan' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Arthropoda', where 'arthro-' meant 'joint' and 'poda' (from Greek 'pod-') meant 'foot'.
'arthropodan' changed from New Latin 'Arthropoda' combined with the English adjectival/denominal suffix '-an', producing the English form 'arthropodan' used as an adjective or noun.
Initially, it meant 'jointed-footed' in a literal morphological sense; over time it evolved into the modern biological senses 'a member of Arthropoda' or 'relating to arthropods'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the phylum Arthropoda; an arthropod — an invertebrate with a segmented body, jointed limbs, and an exoskeleton.
Paleontologists identified an arthropodan in the Cambrian rock strata.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of arthropods or the taxonomic group Arthropoda.
The study examined arthropodan limb morphology across several species.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/23 06:40