arthropod

noun

ar·​thro·​pod ˈär-thrə-ˌpäd 

: any of a phylum (Arthropoda) of invertebrate animals (such as insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) that have a segmented body and jointed appendages, a usually chitinous exoskeleton molted at intervals, and a dorsal anterior brain connected to a ventral chain of ganglia

arthropod adjective

arthropodan

är-ˈthrä-pə-dən 

adjective

Examples of arthropod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers were able to conduct CT scans of the fossil, which revealed insights into the arthropod’s adaptable head and appendages. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024

The heavy density of pyrite also means the fool's gold material thoroughly filled in tiny areas where the arthropod's body once lay in sediment − including internal body parts, scientists said. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

Unlucky for the wee beast, yes, but the circumstances of its demise proved fortunate for paleontologists: Its body was encased in iron-rich, oxygen-poor sediment that fostered the formation of the mineral pyrite, also called fool’s gold, fossilizing the arthropod in opulent fashion. —Christie Wilcox, science.org, 30 Oct. 2024

Contemporary arthropods use the legs at the front of their bodies for many functions. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from base of New Latin Arthropoda, group name, from arthro- arthro- + -poda, neuter plural of Greek -podos -pod

Note: The taxon Arthropoda, "those with jointed limbs," was introduced by the German zoologist Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold (1804-85) in Lehrbuch der vergleichenden Anatomie, von v. Siebold und Stannius [Hermann Friedrich Stannius], Erster Teil, Wirbellose Thiere, von C. Th. v. Siebold (Berlin, 1848), p. 4. Note that the first part of the Lehrbuch was published after the second part, released in 1846, an irregularity that has resulted in Arthropoda being incorrectly dated to that year, and credited to both Stannius and von Siebold. See the discussion in Thomas A. Hegna, et al., "The correct authorship of the taxon name 'Arthropoda'," Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny, vol. 71, no. 2 (November 19, 2013), pp. 71-74.

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

arthropod

noun

ar·​thro·​pod ˈär-thrə-ˌpäd 

: any of a phylum of invertebrate animals (as insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) having a segmented body, jointed limbs, and a shell of chitin that is shed periodically

arthropod adjective