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ceph·a·lo·pod

(sĕfə-lə-pŏd′)

Any of various carnivorous marine mollusks of the class Cephalopoda, having a large head, a mouth with a chitinous beak surrounded by arms or tentacles, and in most species, an ink sac containing a dark fluid used for defense, and including the octopuses, squids, cuttlefishes, and nautiluses.

[From New Latin Cephalopoda, class name : CEPHALO- + -poda, -pod.]

ceph·a·lo·pod′ adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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