noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   One of the appendages on the heads of centipedes and some crustaceans behind the maxillae, used for feeding. The maxillipeds, known as forcipules, give centipedes their scientific name, Chilopoda (lip-foot).

   "Flattened carapace and claws, and large modified maxillipeds used to gather planktonic food."

2. 2
   One of a set of three paired appendages on the thorax of a decapod crustacean, located just posterior to the maxillae and used in feeding. wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

gnathitegnathitegnathopod

Example

More examples

"Flattened carapace and claws, and large modified maxillipeds used to gather planktonic food."

Etymology

From maxilla + -i- + -ped.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.