quadruped

noun

quad·​ru·​ped ˈkwä-drə-ˌped How to pronounce quadruped (audio)
: an animal having four feet
quadruped adjective

Did you know?

The quadrupeds include almost all the mammals. (Among the exceptions are whales, bats, and humans.) The Greek equivalent of this Latin word is tetrapod. However, the two are not identical, since the tetrapod classification includes bipeds such as birds, in which two of the limbs are no longer used for walking. Insects all have six legs, of course, and in the sea there are eight-legged octopods (including the octopus). But there are no animals of any kind with an odd number of legs.

Examples of quadruped in a Sentence

Horses and cows are quadrupeds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The quadruped bot has four legs that can be equipped with wheels instead of conventional foot pads. New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2025 The quadruped is currently deployed at car manufacturing sites and in hazardous industrial areas around the world. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025 Each environment teaches the quadruped something new. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025 The August trip to White Sands showed the quadruped could act autonomously. Jennifer Kite-Powell, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 This is another quadruped exercise that works the glutes, improving the stability and strength of the hip joint. Jakob Roze, Health, 19 Aug. 2025 Less than two weeks after its last release, MagicLab unveils another breakthrough — MagicDog-W, the wheeled quadruped robot. IEEE Spectrum, 25 July 2025 More Kent Nishimura/AP A robotic quadruped, also known as a robot dog, during the US Army's 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin quadruped-, quadrupes, from quadruped-, quadrupes, adjective, having four feet, from quadri- + ped-, pes foot — more at foot

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quadruped was in 1646

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quadruped.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quadruped. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

quadruped

noun
quad·​ru·​ped ˈkwäd-rə-ˌped How to pronounce quadruped (audio)
: an animal having four feet

Medical Definition

quadruped

noun
quad·​ru·​ped ˈkwäd-rə-ˌped How to pronounce quadruped (audio)
: an animal having four feet

More from Merriam-Webster on quadruped

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