four-footed

/'fɔ:'futid/

Thân thiện

A large, four-footed dog runs across a grassy field.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having four feet: Describes an animal that possesses or moves on four limbs. This term is primarily used in zoological or biological contexts to categorize animals based on their locomotive structures.

Usage

• The term "four-footed" is used attributively (before a noun) to describe animals. It is a straightforward descriptive term.
• It is more formal and scientific than the common word "quadrupedal," though both share similar meanings.
• Example: "The veterinarian specializes in treating four-footed patients."

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The farm is home to many four-footed creatures like cows, pigs, and horses.
  • In the story, the hero befriended a kind, four-footed beast.
  • Most mammals are four-footed, but humans are an exception.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in a more literary or archaic sense to personify animals or emphasize their animal nature.
  • The old tales spoke of four-footed guardians of the forest.

Variants and Related Words

• Quadruped (n): An animal that has four feet. This is the corresponding noun form.
  • Dogs and cats are quadrupeds.
• Quadrupedal (adj): The more technical adjective meaning "using all four limbs for walking."
  • The dinosaur had a quadrupedal stance.

Synonyms

• Quadrupedal: Using four feet for locomotion.
• Tetrapodal: In zoology, belonging to the superclass Tetrapoda, which includes all four-limbed vertebrates (including those whose limbs have evolved into other forms, like wings or flippers). This is a broader, more scientific term.

Antonyms

• Bipedal: Using only two feet for walking (e.g., humans, birds).
• Multipedal: Having many feet (e.g., centipedes).
• Apodal: Having no feet or foot-like structures.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. having four feet

Từ đồng nghĩa

• quadrupedal
• quadruped