Quadruped
/ˈkwɑː.drʊ.pɛd/noun
An animal with four feet or legs.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin quadrupes, literally “four-footed,” and the same ancient root behind “quad” also lives in words like “quarter” and “quadrant,” turning number into a kind of linguistic geometry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷetwóres
“four”
Latin
Latin
quattuor
“four”
Latin
Latin
quadrupes
“four-footed animal”
Late Latin
Latin
quadrupedem
“four-footed creature”
16th Century
English
quadruped
“a four-footed animal”
Explore more surprising origins