millipede

noun

mil·​li·​pede ˈmi-lə-ˌpēd 

: any of a class (Diplopoda) of myriapod arthropods having usually a cylindrical segmented body covered with hard integument, two pairs of legs on most apparent segments, and unlike centipedes no poison fangs

Did you know?

The earth is home to about 10,000 species of millipedes. Though they have no poison fangs, many of them can, when threatened, emit a liquid or gas poisonous to their enemies. If their structure were true to their name, millipedes would have a thousand legs, but in fact they have far fewer. Even so, a millipede in motion is a sight to ponder: How can it possibly coordinate all those legs so that it doesn't trip over itself? Like some tiny conga line or bunny hop, it scuttles away to a rhythm only it can hear.

Examples of millipede in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The mole tunnel had contained an actual mole, gorging on millipedes beneath our feet; the striped skunk tracks had been left by an actual skunk, loping down a dirt road to fulfill its secret ends. —Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

In addition to helping researchers better understand what Arthropleura looked like, the discovery also draws a closer evolutionary connection between modern millipedes and centipedes. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024

Based on this discovery, the authors argue that Arthropleura is closely related to the last common ancestor between millipedes and centipedes . —David Bressan, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Arthropods are invertebrate animals that today include insects, spiders, crustaceans, centipedes and millipedes—and Lomankus edgecombei belonged to an extinct subgroup of these creatures called megacheirans. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin millepeda, a small crawling animal, from mille thousand + ped-, pes foot — more at foot

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

millipede

noun

mil·​li·​pede ˈmil-ə-ˌpēd 

: any of a class of arthropods having a long segmented body with a hard covering, two pairs of legs on most segments, and unlike the related centipedes no poison fangs

Etymology

from Latin millepeda "a small crawling animal," literally "a thousand-footed animal," from mille "thousand" and ped-, pes "foot"

Medical Definition

millipede

noun

mil·​li·​pede ˈmil-ə-ˌpēd 

: any of a class (Diplopoda) of arthropods having usually a cylindrical segmented body, two pairs of legs on most segments, and including some forms that secrete toxic substances causing skin irritation but that unlike centipedes possess no poison fangs