Body Language: Ped, Pod ("Foot")

You're sure to get off on the right foot when you learn this list of words that derive from the Latin word pes and the Greek word podi, both meaning "foot."

Want to dissect more English words related to anatomy? Here are links to our complete set of Body Language lists:
Corp ("Body") / Capit, Capt ("Head") / Or, Os ("Mouth") / Dent, Dont ("Tooth") / Gastr, Gastro ("Stomach") / Neur ("Nerve") / Man ("Hand") / Ped, Pod ("Foot") / Derm ("Skin") / Carn ("Flesh") / Os, Osteo ("Bone") / Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart") / Psych ("Mind")
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pedicure
    professional care for the feet and toenails
    Shamso offers haircuts, manicures, pedicures and massages, as well as henna body art and hijab wraps. Washington Post (Mar 14, 2019)
    ped + cura ("care")
  2. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
    Portland’s Esplanade is a path for cyclists and pedestrians, and it goes along the Willamette River. Piecing Me Together
    pedes ("foot walker") + ian (suffix forming adjectives)
  3. peon
    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
    I lived in the mine, in a wooden shack with a zinc roof that I built myself with the help of a few peons. The House of the Spirits: A Novel
    pedes ("foot walker")
    Originally also known as a pedestrian or pawn, a peon was a foot soldier. Its current spelling and connection to menial labor in all fields came about during its passage through colonized countries whose populations were forced to work for their conquerors.
  4. pedal
    a lever that is operated with the foot
    The Google cars can operate without a steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal. Los Angeles Times (May 15, 2015)
    The word's original meaning as an adjective is hardly used anymore (unlike its counterpart, manual).
  5. bipedalism
    the attribute of having or walking on two feet
    The fossilized trackway, unveiled on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, is the oldest direct evidence of bipedalism, or moving on two legs, in lizards. National Geographic (Feb 15, 2018)
    bi (prefix meaning "two") + ped + ism (suffix meaning "practice or system")
  6. quadruped
    an animal especially a mammal having four limbs
    As quadrupeds stride, they are able to spread the force of the impact across four sets of muscles. Slate (May 4, 2012)
    quadri (prefix meaning "four") + ped
  7. arthropod
    invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body
    A new study finds that insects, millipedes, and other arthropods consume thousands of kilograms of food litter every year, at least in New York City. Science Magazine (Dec 2, 2014)
    arthron ("joint") + pod
    A number of animals are named according to the the shapes or locations of their feet: gastropod (snail with foot near stomach), brachiopod (mollusk with a long spiral arm that acts like a foot to anchor it to the seabed), cephalopod (mollusk that's mostly head and feet, such as an octopus), ornithopod (dinosaur that had bird-like feet).
  8. antipode
    direct opposite
    They were as alike as two peas in some ways and the antipodes in others. Speed, Nell
    anti (prefix meaning "opposite") + pod
    The word literally translates to "with feet opposite ours." It used to refer only to people who lived on opposite sides of the world, but now can refer to any two people, places, things, or ideas that are opposite in nature.
  9. impediment
    any structure that makes progress difficult
    If a wheel strikes against a stone or other impediment, while in quick motion, it turns the cart with a violent jerk, and often throws them down with more or less injury. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing
    im (prefix meaning "into") + ped + ment (suffix forming nouns)
  10. pedigree
    the ancestry or lineage of an individual
    She's got a pedigree that goes back to Salem, but keeps her powers on the back burner; he's the scion of an old French line and a one-time pal of Charles Darwin. Los Angeles Times (Jan 15, 2019)
    ped + grus ("crane")
    The connection between the the Latin roots and the meaning of this word can be found in 15th-century manuscripts. To indicate descent, a forked line was used. This sign, in addition to looking like the branches of a genealogical chart, looked like a bird's footprint.
  11. pedestal
    an architectural support or base
    Vases of flowers adorn marble pedestals around the edges of the restaurant. Warcross
    ped + stellein ("to arrange or order")
  12. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    And so there I was, on the podium, the names of my classmates having been recited, accomplishments categorized and recognized, protocols followed. Washington Post (May 15, 2015)
    podion (Greek: "foot of a vase"), podium (Latin: "base of a pedestal")
  13. podiatrist
    a specialist in care for the feet
    “Many travelers fail to recognize the importance of choosing the right socks,” says Jane Andersen, a Chapel Hill, N.C., podiatrist and president of the North Carolina Foot & Ankle Society. Washington Post (Oct 25, 2018)
    pod + iatry (suffix meaning "medical treatment") + ist (suffix meaning "one who does")
  14. pessimist
    a person who expects the worst
    It’s been said of life on the sea — “the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” Time (May 20, 2015)
    ped + samo (superlative related to "great") + ist (suffix meaning "one who does s")
Created on Thu Jun 04 14:46:06 EDT 2015 (updated Thu Aug 22 13:45:37 EDT 2019)

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