ENGLISH
REFERENCE

centipede

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsɛntɪˌpid// UK //sˈɛntɪpˌiːd// cen·tipede Archaic

n. a long, thin creature with many legs that lives in damp places. It has one pair of legs on each body segment and moves in a wave-like pattern.

n. a long, slender arthropod of the class Chilopoda, characterized by a flattened body and one pair of legs per body segment. It is a predatory insect that typically inhabits moist environments.


SIMPLE

A centipede crawled across the damp garden path at night.

CONTEXTUAL

While walking through the forest, the hiker accidentally stepped on a centipede that was hiding under a fallen log.

COMPLEX

The centipede, a master of the dark, relies on its numerous legs and venomous jaws to navigate the leaf litter and hunt smaller invertebrates in the humid undergrowth.

Origin

From French centipède, from Latin centipeda, centipēs, from centi- (“hundred”) + pēs (“foot”); equivalent to centi- + -pede.

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