Millepede
/ˈmɪlɪpiːd/noun
A millipede, especially one of the many-legged arthropods in the class Diplopoda.
Did you know?The name exaggerates the animal’s numerous legs: the species commonly called the “thousand-legger” Illacme plenipes was long famous for having the most known legs, with up to 750.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“Foot”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sem-ḱm̥tóm
“One hundred; the root underlying the later word for thousand in Latin”
Classical Latin
Latin
mille
“A thousand”
Classical Latin
Latin
pēs, pedis
“Foot”
Late Latin
Latin
millepeda
“A thousand-footed creature”
17th Century
English
millepede
“A millipede or many-legged arthropod”
Modern English
English
millepede
“A variant form of millipede”
Explore more surprising origins