copepod

[ koh-puh-pod ]

noun
  1. any of numerous tiny marine or freshwater crustaceans of the order (or subclass) Copepoda, lacking compound eyes or a carapace and usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax, some abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fish.

Origin of copepod

1
1830–40; <New Latin Copepoda name of the order <Greek kṓpē a handle, oar + -poda-poda

Words Nearby copepod

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use copepod in a sentence

  • The body of the typical copepod is distinctly segmented, and the head and thorax are both enclosed in a hardened buckler.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • From the protopodites of both the latter spring strong hooks like those of the copepod and Phyllopod Nauplii.

  • It still must pass through its life cycle, but its intermediate host need not be one species of snail, fish, or copepod.

    The Lani People | J. F. Bone

British Dictionary definitions for copepod

copepod

/ (ˈkəʊpɪˌpɒd) /


noun
  1. any minute free-living or parasitic crustacean of the subclass Copepoda of marine and fresh waters: an important constituent of plankton

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Copepoda

Origin of copepod

1
C19: from New Latin Copepoda, from Greek kōpē oar + pous foot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for copepod

copepod

[ pə-pŏd′ ]


  1. Any of various very small crustaceans of the subclass Copepoda, having an elongated body and a forked tail. Unlike most crustaceans, copepods lack a carapace over the back and do not have compound eyes. They are abundant in both salt and fresh water, and are an important food source for many water animals. Copepods include the water fleas.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.