-pode

The combining form –pode is used like a suffix meaning “footlike part.” It is very rarely used in scientific terms, especially in zoology.

The form –pode comes from Greek pódion, meaning “little foot.” The Latin cognate of pódion is pēs, “foot,” and is the source of several combining forms related to the lower extremities, including –ped, –pede, and pedi–. Discover more at our Words That Use articles for each of these three forms.

What are variants of –pode?

A variant of –pode is –podium, as in parapodium. It also shares an origin with the combining forms pod–, podo–, –pod, –poda, and –podous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for all these forms.

One example of a scientific term that features the form –pode is monopode, “having one foot.” Monopode comes from Latin monopodius, which uses the equivalent of the form in that language.

Mono– may look familiar to you; it means “one, single,” from Greek mónos. The form –pode means “footlike part.” Monopode literally translates to “(organism with) one footlike part.”

What are some words that use the combining form –pode?

• antipode (using the equivalent form of –pode in Greek)
• megapode (using the equivalent form of –pode in Latin)

What are some other forms that –pode may be commonly confused with?

• -pedia
• -penia
• -ploid

The combining form mega– means “large” or “great.” With this in mind, what is unique about megapodes, also known as scrub fowl or brush turkey?