LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivethird-declension one-termination adjective

quadrupēs1

quadrupēs (genitive quadrupedis)
Classical[ˈkʷa.drʊ.peːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷaː.dru.pes]

Meaning

  1. one terminationgalloping
  2. one terminationmoving on all fours
  3. one terminationfour-legged, quadrupedal
    Priusquam consules prouincias sortirentur, prodigia nuntiata sunt: lapidem in agro Crustumino in lucum Martis de caelo cecidisse; puerum trunci corporis in agro Romano natum et quadrupedem anguem visum27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 41.9.5

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

animal quattuor pedum
quadrupēs -edis — in Aeneis, ch. 18

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativequadrupēsquadrupēsquadrupēs
genitivequadrupedisquadrupedisquadrupedis
dativequadrupedīquadrupedīquadrupedī
accusativequadrupedemquadrupedemquadrupēs
ablativequadrupedī
quadrupede		quadrupedī
quadrupede		quadrupedī
quadrupede
vocativequadrupēsquadrupēsquadrupēs
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativequadrupedēsquadrupedēsquadrupedia
genitivequadrupediumquadrupediumquadrupedium
dativequadrupedibusquadrupedibusquadrupedibus
accusativequadrupedīs
quadrupedēs		quadrupedīs
quadrupedēs		quadrupedia
ablativequadrupedibusquadrupedibusquadrupedibus
vocativequadrupedēsquadrupedēsquadrupedia

quā^drŭpēs (quā^drĭpes), pĕdis (
I. gen. plur. quadrupedium, Capitol. Ver. 5, 2), adj. quattuor-pes, having four feet, going on four feet; esp.,
A. Galloping (post-Aug.): ecus, Enn. ap. Gell. 18, 5, 4; cf. Macr. S. 6, 9, 10: equestri celeritate, quadrupedi cursu solum replaudens, App. M. 6, p. 185, 7.— Transf.: dum certum flectit in orbem Quadrupedis cursus, Ov. M. 6, 226.—
B. Of persons, on all fours, creeping, going on hands and feet: atque audin? quadrupedem constringito, so that he can only move on all fours, Ter. And. 5, 2, 24: mox quadrupes (infans) rituque tulit sua membra ferarum, Ov. M. 15, 222: homines ... bestiarum more quadrupedes coërcuit, Suet. Calig. 27; id. Ner.48.—
II. Subst.: quā^drŭpēs, ĕdis, m., f., and n., a quadruped, four-footed creature.
A. Masc., mostly of beasts of draught or burden; v. Quint. 8, 6, 20: calcari quadrupedem agitabo advorsum clivum, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 11: reprime parumper vim citatūm quadrupedum, Att. ap. Non. 495, 20: quadrupedum vectiones, quorum, etc., Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151: de omnibus quadrupedibus ... qui idonei sunt, etc., Varr. R. R. 1, 20, 1; Verg. A. 11, 714: saucius quadrupes, id. ib. 7, 500.— Contemptuously (opp. bipes), Cic. Dom. 18, 48: nihil inter te atque inter quadrupedem interesse, id. Par. 1, 3, 14: quadrupes nequissime, App. M. 7, p. 200, 10.—
B. Fem. (sc. bestia): ducite eo mutas quadrupedes, Naev. ap. Non. p. 924 (Trag. Rel. v. 28 Rib.): si quamvis quadrupedem serpens momorderit, Cato, R. R. 102; Enn. ap. Non. p. 407, 22 (Trag. Rel. v. 219 Vahl.): quadrupes tardigrada, Pac. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 64, 133 (Trag. Rel. v. 2 Rib.): quadrupes qua vasta tenetur, Cic. N. D. 2, 44, 114; Varr. L. L. 7, § 39 Müll.; Verg. E. 5, 26: sollicitari quadripedes cunctas, Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—
C. Neutr. (sc. animal): cetera quadrupedia, Col. 11, 2, 33: majora, id. 11, 2, 14: crocodilum, quadripes malum et infestum, Plin. 8, 25, 37, § 89: plurima autem obruerit quadrupedia, Jul. Val. Rer. Gest. Alex. 3, 36.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóresder. Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwr̥- Proto-Italic *kʷetru- Proto-Indo-European *ped- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *pṓds Proto-Italic *pets Proto-Italic *kʷetrupōts Latin quadrupēs Inherited from Proto-Italic *kʷetrupōts. By surface analysis, quadru- (“four”) + pēs (“foot”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τετράπους (tetrápous), Sanskrit चतुष्पद् (cátuṣpad).

Descendants
  • Catalanquadrúpede
  • Englishquadruped
  • Frenchquadrupède
noun · masculinethird declension
quadrupēs2
quadrupēs m or f or n (genitive quadrupedis)
Classical[ˈkʷa.drʊ.peːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷaː.dru.pes]

Meaning

  1. a quadruped
    Castrationis autem ratio iam tradita est, neque enim alia in agnis quam in maiore quadripede servatur.4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 7.5.22
    His etiam diebus maturi agni et reliqui fetus pecudum, nec minus maiora quadrupedia charactere signari debent.1955 translation by E. S. Forster, Edward H. Heffner In these days, too, early lambs and the other young of cattle and the larger four-footed beasts also ought to be marked with the branding-iron.4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De re rustica 11.2.14

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativequadrupēsquadrupedēs
quadrupedia, quadrupeda
genitivequadrupedisquadrupedum
quadrupedium
dativequadrupedīquadrupedibus
accusativequadrupedem
quadrupēs		quadrupedēs
quadrupedīs, quadrupedia, quadrupeda
ablativequadrupede
quadrupedī		quadrupedibus
vocativequadrupēsquadrupedēs
quadrupedia, quadrupeda

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóresder. Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwr̥- Proto-Italic *kʷetru- Proto-Indo-European *ped- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *pṓds Proto-Italic *pets Proto-Italic *kʷetrupōts Latin quadrupēs Inherited from Proto-Italic *kʷetrupōts. By surface analysis, quadru- (“four”) + pēs (“foot”). Cognate with Ancient Greek τετράπους (tetrápous), Sanskrit चतुष्पद् (cátuṣpad).

Quick answers

What does quadrupēs mean in Latin?
quadrupēs, a adjective, means “galloping; moving on all fours; four-legged, quadrupedal”.
How do you pronounce quadrupēs?
In classical Latin, [ˈkʷa.drʊ.peːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkʷaː.dru.pes].