Pygopod
/ˈpaɪɡəpɒd/noun
A legless or nearly legless lizard with small hind-limb remnants near the rear of its body.
Did you know?Pygopods are lizards, not snakes: many species retain tiny external hind-limb flaps, an evolutionary remnant hidden beside the cloaca.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“Foot; the ancestral root behind many words for walking and standing”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pous, podos
“Foot; the stem pod- appeared in compounds”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pygē
“Buttock, rump, or rear end”
19th Century
Scientific English
pygopod
“A zoological compound meaning literally “buttock-foot,” referring to a footlike structure at the rear”
Modern English
English
pygopod
“A legless lizard, especially one belonging to the family Pygopodidae”