millipede

mil·li·pede

noun \ˈmi-lə-ˌpēd\

: a small creature that is like an insect and that has a long, thin body with many legs

Full Definition of MILLIPEDE

:  any of a class (Diplopoda) of myriapod arthropods having usually a cylindrical segmented body covered with hard integument, two pairs of legs on most apparent segments, and unlike centipedes no poison fangs

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Origin of MILLIPEDE

Latin millepeda, a small crawling animal, from mille thousand + ped-, pes foot — more at foot

First Known Use: 1601

Rhymes with MILLIPEDE

aniseed, antecede, beating reed, beggarweed, bitterweed, bottle-feed, bugleweed, butterweed, carpetweed, centipede, chicken feed, copyread, cottonseed, cottonweed, crazyweed, double reed, Ganymede, giant reed, go to seed, interbreed, intercede, interplead, jewelweed, jimsonweed, locoweed, Nicene Creed, overfeed, pedigreed, pickerelweed, poppy seed, Port Said, pumpkinseed, quitclaim deed, retrocede, rosinweed, Runnymede, silverweed, supersede, thimbleweed, title deed, tumbleweed, underfeed, up to speed, waterweed

mil·li·pede

noun \ˈmil-ə-ˌpēd\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of MILLIPEDE

: any of a class (Diplopoda) of arthropods having usually a cylindrical segmented body, two pairs of legs on most segments, and including some forms that secrete toxic substances causing skin irritation but that unlike centipedes possess no poison fangs

millipede

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of about 10,000 species of the arthropod class Diplopoda, found worldwide. Most species live in and eat decaying plant matter. Some injure living plants, and a few are predators and scavengers. Millipedes are 1–11 in. (2.5–28 cm) long and have from 11 to more than 100 diplosomites, double segments formed from the fusion of two segments. The head is legless; the next three segments have one pair of legs each; and the remaining segments have two pairs each. In defense, millipedes do not bite; most species tuck headfirst into a tight coil, and many secrete a pungent, toxic liquid or gas.