Standard Lemma guide

pleopod

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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  • /ˈpliːəˌpɒd/

1

noun

Meaning 1

One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

one of the paired abdominal appendages of certain aquatic crustaceans that function primarily for carrying the eggs in females and are usually adapted for swimming

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: swimmeret

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: extremity, appendage, member

History

Etymology

From pleon (“the abdomen of a crustacean”) + -pod (“foot”).