noun
centipede
SEN-tuh-peed/ˈsentɪpiːd/
A small predatory animal with a long, segmented body and one pair of legs per body segment.
The centipede has one pair of legs on each body segment.
Etymology
The pieces give the image of a “hundred-footed” creature. The name emphasizes the many feet along the arthropod’s long, segmented body.
In context
With 50 feet and potent venom, the giant desert centipede is a dangerous foe.
More examples
- The centipede hunts small insects in the damp soil.
- Each trunk segment of this centipede carries one pair of legs.
- She finds a centipede under a fallen log.
Forms
centipede · centipedes
Similar words
- millipede
- Usually has two pairs of legs on most body segments.
- insect
- Has six legs and a different basic body structure.