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arthropod

Fauna
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An invertebrate animal with a hard outer shell and jointed legs, such as an insect, spider, or crab.

Detailed Definition
Arthropods are a major animal group characterized by an exoskeleton and jointed limbs. The poem uses the word in an evolutionary context, pointing to early life forms and the development of hearts in ancient creatures.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Where arthropod hearts began to pound” extends the word to insects, spiders, and crustaceans in a scientific-poetic setting; Marianne Moore’s animal poems make close observation of invertebrate life a source of precision; Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish” models how an animal’s anatomy can become vivid lyric detail; contemporary eco-poetry often uses arthropod imagery, such as bees, beetles, and spiders, to register biodiversity and environmental loss
Additional Notes
The word in "arthropod hearts" is a biological term that is more specialized than everyday vocabulary.; Found in the poem, Tides of Time by Richard
Other Meanings of “arthropod”
Also Known As
jointed creature segmented being shellfish crustacean
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