noun
centipede
SEHN-tih-peed
noun
1
A small, many-legged arthropod with a long, segmented body and one pair of legs per segment.
"A centipede scurried out from under the log."
How to Use Centipede
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA crawling, multi-legged bug with a long segmented body.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with a millipede, which has two pairs of legs per segment and moves more slowly.
Easily confused with
millipede
Word Forms
centipedes plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “centipede”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ scurried out from under the log.
Etymology
From Latin centi- ("hundred") + pes/pedis ("foot") — literally "hundred-footed", though real centipedes rarely have exactly a hundred legs.