Main Entry:

deca·pod

Pronunciation:

\ˈde-kə-ˌpäd\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin Decapoda, from deca- + -poda -pod

Date:

1826

1 : any of an order (Decapoda) of crustaceans (as shrimps, lobsters, and crabs) with five pairs of thoracic appendages one or more of which are modified into pincers, with stalked eyes, and with the head and thorax fused into a cephalothorax and covered by a carapace 2 : any of the cephalopod mollusks (orders Sepioidea and Teuthoidea) with 10 arms including cuttlefishes, squids, and related forms

— decapod adjective

— de·cap·o·dan \di-ˈka-pə-dən\ adjective or noun

— de·cap·o·dous \-ə-dəs\ adjective

[decapod illustration]