1. swimming appendages found on the abdomen of certain crustaceans such as shrimp and lobsters
Usage: zoology; plural form

Examples

• The shrimp used its pleopods to propel itself through the water.
• Female lobsters carry their eggs attached to their pleopods.
• The biologist examined the pleopods under a microscope.
• Pleopods are important for both swimming and reproduction in many crustaceans.
• The crayfish’s pleopods beat rhythmically as it moved backward.
• Researchers studied how pleopods contribute to the animal’s mobility.