ped-, pedi-, -pedal, -ped, -pede, -pedia

(Latin: foot, feet; people often see this ped element in other words. When people refer to "pedal extremities", they mean "feet". When anyone pushes the pedals of a bicycle, it is done with the feet. A pedestrian must use the feet for walking. A quadruped has four feet while a centipede has "100 feet"; or a large number of them because it may be impossible to count all of them.)

aliped (s) (noun), alipeds (pl)
1. Wing-footed, having wings on the feet: Alipeds, like Mercury (the Roman god that served as messenger to the other gods) and Hermes (the Greek equivalent of Mercury) were considered to be swift-footed because they had wings on their feet.
2. In zoology, having the toes connected by a membrane that serves as a wing: "Bats are known as alipeds or cheiropterous (hand-wing) animals."
anguiped, anguipede (s) (noun); anguipeds, anguipedes (pl)
Having feet or legs in the form of serpents, serpent-footed: Certain giants of ancient mythology were called anquipeds.
anomaliped, anomalipod (s) (noun); anomalipeds, anomalipods (pl)
One of a group of perching birds that have the middle toe, more or less, united to the outer and inner toes: One example of an anomaliped bird is the kingfisher.

Anomaliipods is another term for those birds whose middle toe is connected to the exterior toes by three bones, and to the interior toe by just one bone.

biped (s) (noun), bipeds (pl)
Any animal that has two feet: It is easy to realize that, unless a bird has lost one of its feet, they are bipeds just like humans.

Even people are classified as bipeds; of course, dogs, cats, and all of the other animals that have four feet are not bipeds, but quadrupeds.

Many primate and even bear species will adopt a bipedal gait in order to reach food or so they can explore their environment; while humans, gibbons, and large birds walk by raising one foot at a time.

Two-footed animals.
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bipedal (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to two-footed creatures: The bipedal chickens, ducks, and other fowl are a primary source of food for bipedal humans.
bipedal (verb), bipedals; bipedaled, bipedalled; bipedaling, bipedalling
1. Using two feet as a means of movement: The birds are bipedaling on the beach for food.
2. Capable of locomotion on two feet: When they are really in a big hurry, some iguanas and other lizards bipedal their way across land and even water.
3. Sometimes used humorously as a reference to a human: Unless something has caused a person to lose one or both feet, he or she bipedal themselves from here to there and where ever they can.
A centipede with a biped in pursuit.

A biped is bipedalling in pursuit of a polyped in hopes of having a snack.

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bipedaling, bipedalling (adjective); more bipedaling, more bipedalling; most bipedaling, most bipedalling
A reference to walking or running with two feet: Humans are best known as bipedaling creatures.

Some people are known as bipedaling monoglots (two-footed people who speak one language) or bipedaling polyglots (two-footed people who speak many languages).

It is obvious that the animal below is a more bipedaling horse than the usual quadrupedal ones that people normally see.

An example of a bipedaling horse.

An unusual example of a quadrupedal horse transformed into the most bipedaling runner ever seen.

bipedalism (s) (noun) (no plural)
The normal functions of two feet as with humans and birds.
bipedality (s) (noun), bipedalities (pl)
A term for measuring distances by walking or pacing: The worker used a method called bipedality to indicate a certain distance as he counted his steps from one point to another one.

Ted's gardner was seen striding five bipedalities from the wall and then he started to dig a hole for a new tree.

breviped (s) (noun), brevipeds (pl)
Having short feet: There are some people who have brevipeds that are smaller than normal.
capitopedal (adjective) (no comparatives)
A reference to the head and the feet.
capriped (adjective) (not comparable)
Regarding something having feet like those of a goat; goat-footed: In Greek mythology, a satyr, or sylvan deity, was half man and half goat, particularly with capriped hooves, like a goat.
capripede (s) (noun), capripedes (pl)
A satyr, with goat feet: The capripede was depicted by the Roman artists to be like the goat-god Pan with goat's ears, haunches and horns, and, of course, with such goat feet.

The capripedes represented excessive desires.

carpopedal
Relating to the hand, wrist, and the foot (in carpopedal spasm, a term applied to the local convulsions which affect the hands and feet of children).
carpopedal spasm
Spasms of the hands or feet that may be seen in association with hypocalcaemia or hyperventilation.

Hypocalcaemia is abnormally low calcium concentration, which can result in muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, spasms, and hyperactive deep tendon reflexes.

Hyperventilation refers to the depth and rate of breathing which is greater than that required by the needs of the body. Such a condition can cause dizziness and tingling of the fingers and toes.


Keep in mind that all of the ped words which you see in English are not always from the Latin "foot" or "feet". There are also some Greek ped words in English which do not mean "foot"! So, don't confuse this Latin element with a Greek pedo- that means "child" or the Greek pedo- which means "ground, soil".


If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, don’t drag your feet.

—Rayoa

For more information about ped-, or "foot, feet" words, click on this expeditious, expedite link.


Related "foot, feet" units: melo-; planta-; podo-; -pus.