noun
arthropod
AR-thruh-pahd/ˈɑːrθrəpɑːd/
An invertebrate animal with jointed legs, a segmented body, and an external skeleton.
The beetle's jointed legs and hard external skeleton identify it as an arthropod.
Etymology
The Greek pieces give the image of “jointed feet”: the name identifies these animals by their articulated limbs. It brings insects, spiders, and crustaceans together under one anatomical description.
In context
In today's lab we are going to be examining arthropod anatomy and we're going to look at two broad categories of arthropod anatomy.
More examples
- A crab is an arthropod, despite living underwater.
- Spiders and insects are both arthropods.
- The exhibit shows the external skeleton of an arthropod.
Forms
arthropod · arthropods
Similar words
- invertebrate
- A broader group that also includes animals without jointed legs.