decapod

noun

deca·​pod ˈde-kə-ˌpäd How to pronounce decapod (audio)
1
: any of an order (Decapoda) of crustaceans (such as shrimp, lobsters, and crabs) with five pairs of thoracic appendages one or more of which are modified into pincers, with stalked eyes, and with the head and thorax fused into a cephalothorax and covered by a carapace
2
: any of the cephalopod mollusks (orders Sepioidea and Teuthoidea) with 10 arms including cuttlefishes, squids, and related forms
decapod adjective
decapodan adjective or noun
decapodous adjective

Illustration of decapod

Illustration of decapod
  • decapod 1

Examples of decapod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And depictions of the decapods — bright red with claws, antennae and black-dot eyes — are everywhere: crawfish curtains, crawfish tablecloths, crawfish paper towel holders, crawfish caps, crawfish T-shirts, crawfish earrings. Rick Rojas Emily Kask, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 But the survivors of this catastrophe—including decapods—thrived in the aftermath. National Geographic, 24 Apr. 2019

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Decapoda, from deca- + -poda -pod

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decapod was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near decapod

Cite this Entry

“Decapod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decapod. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on decapod

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!