decapod

noun

deca·​pod ˈde-kə-ˌpäd 

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

di-ˈka-pə-dən 

adjective or noun

decapodous

di-ˈka-pə-dəs 

adjective

Illustration of decapod

• decapod 1

Examples of decapod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their findings revealed that 30 percent of decapods, such as crabs and shrimp, are at risk, along with 26 percent of fish and 16 percent of dragonfly species. —Shannon McDonagh, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

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