Amphipoda n 1: small flat-bodied semiterrestrial crustaceans: whale lice; sand-hoppers; skeleton shrimp [syn: {Amphipoda}, {order Amphipoda}]
Amphipoda \Am*phip"o*da\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. 'amfi` + ?, ? foot.] (Zool.) A numerous group of fourteen -- footed Crustacea, inhabiting both fresh and salt water. The body is usually compressed laterally, and the anterior pairs or legs are directed downward and forward, but the posterior legs are usually turned upward and backward. The beach flea is an example. See {Tetradecapoda} and {Arthrostraca}. [1913 Webster]