pleopod

English

Alternative forms

• pleiopod, pleiopus, pleopus

Etymology

ple- (“swimming”) + -o- + -pod (“foot”)

Noun

pleopod (plural pleopods or (rare) pleopoda)

1. (zoology) In decapods such as lobsters, pleopods are legs mainly used for swimming but sometimes used for brooding eggs or catching food. In some species certain pleopods of an animal may have been adapted to special functions such as reproduction.