Arthropodous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by having jointed limbs and a segmented body, typically belonging to a large group of invertebrate animals that includes insects and crustaceans
2. Relating to creatures with exoskeletons and articulated body structures, encompassing diverse species such as arachnids and myriapods
3. Describing organisms in a major category of invertebrates recognized for their jointed appendages and body segments, prevalent in various ecosystems

Etymology: "Arthropodous" is simply the adjective "arthropod" with the suffix "-ous" attached, meaning "having jointed limbs." The noun "arthropod" was built in modern scientific Latin from two Greek roots: "arthron," meaning "joint," and "pous," meaning "foot." Put together, an arthropod is a creature whose legs are jointed, and that single anatomical feature is what unites insects, spiders, crabs and their relatives. The suffix "-ous" comes through Latin "-osus" from French "-eux" and English "-ous," and it turns a noun into a description of something that has or is full of that noun's quality, as in "poisonous" or "joyous." So "arthropodous" describes a body plan rather than a particular animal. The Greek roots themselves are ancient, but the combined word was a later scientific coinage, not something the Greeks used for these creatures.

Synonyms: insect-like, crustacean, jointed