Bipedal
/baɪˈpiːdəl/noun
Walking on two feet; having two feet.
Did you know?Bipedal comes from Latin roots for “two” and “foot,” and the same ancient foot-root is buried in words like pedal, pedestrian, and impede—proof that language keeps your steps haunted by history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“foot”
Latin
Latin
pes, pedis
“foot”
Latin
Latin
bi- + pedalis
“two-footed”
Late Latin
Latin
bipedalis
“having two feet”
17th Century
English
bipedal
“having two feet; walking on two feet”
Modern English
English
bipedal
“walking on two feet; having two feet”
Explore more surprising origins