copepod

American  

[koh-puh-pod] / ˈkoʊ pəˌpɒd /

noun

1. any of numerous tiny marine or freshwater crustaceans of the order (or subclass) Copepoda, lacking compound eyes or a carapace and usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax, some abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fish.

---

copepod British  

/ ˈkəʊpɪˌpɒd /

noun

1. any minute free-living or parasitic crustacean of the subclass Copepoda of marine and fresh waters: an important constituent of plankton

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Copepoda

copepod Scientific  

/ kō′pə-pŏd′ /

1. Any of various very small crustaceans of the subclass Copepoda, having an elongated body and a forked tail. Unlike most crustaceans, copepods lack a carapace over the back and do not have compound eyes. They are abundant in both salt and fresh water, and are an important food source for many water animals. Copepods include the water fleas.

---

Etymology

Origin of copepod

1830–40; < New Latin Copepoda name of the order < Greek kṓpē a handle, oar + -poda -poda

Example Sentences

Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and lobsters.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

The scientists plumbed the depths off Central America’s Pacific coast to study species ranging from symbiotic bacteria in deep-sea clams to the temperature limits of tiny copepod crustaceans.

From Scientific American • Aug. 9, 2023

Calamus finmarchicus is the dominant copepod in the Gulf of Maine.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

“The plankton nets inshore were pretty brown with phytoplankton, and goopy with a variety of gelatinous organisms. However, beneath all the ‘gunk’ a rich copepod community existed with lots of northern copepods.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2021

Zo�a, zō-ē′a, n. a larval stage of certain decapod crustaceans—also called the copepod stage preceding the megalopa stage—also Zoœ′a:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various